The Media Audit audience research firm announced some interesting results of a recent look at satellite radio.
Excerpted in a recent The Media Audit fyi newsletter, the results were headlined by an increase in the number of listeners, though satellite’s share of the overall radio audience remains small.
It found that 3.1% of all adults listened to satellite radio within “the past week,” which translates to 4.4 million people.
“The figure, while small in comparison to other radio formats, increased from 2.6% in 2008, a nearly 20% increase in three years.”
Among 60 measured radio formats, it found, Sirius XM ranked 25th in past seven-day cume listening among adults 18+.
Other interesting conclusions: 22% of satellite radio listeners earned $150,000 or more in yearly income, and the typical satellite listener had more than $250,000 in liquid assets. The study describes Sirius XM listeners as “upscale, affluent and active.”
A segment was devoted to cross-listening habits. It found that news, sports and public radio are among satellite radio listeners’ favorite terrestrial radio station formats.
It listed the top satellite radio markets as Toledo, Ohio; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa.; Indianapolis; and Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.
The Media Audit Radio Study was conducted among 104,000 respondents in 80 cities.
