Nielsen has released spring results for all of its Portable People Meter markets; and according to an analysis by Cumulus Media, they reveal significantly more listening across demographics and time periods compared to the fall of 2024.
The results also suggest that ads have more impact when stations run more ad breaks but with shorter durations.
These trends are being watched closely in the radio business right now because this is the first full PPM book since the rule change by Nielsen in which stations receive full credit after three minutes of listening per quarter hour, rather than five minutes.
“The PPM audience growth is due to Nielsen’s three-minute qualifier modernization, which provides a significantly more comprehensive and realistic definition of AM/FM radio’s audience and their listening behavior,” wrote Pierre Bouvard, chief insights officer at Cumulus/Westwood One’s Audio Active Group in his blog.
“Nielsen found 23% of PPM listening occasions were three or four minutes. Under the old five-minute listening qualifier rule, none of this tuning would have received listening credit.”
Details
When compared to the fall of 2024, Cumulus says that among persons 25–54, AM/FM radio PPM AQH increased by up to 19%.
Bouvard wrote that the spring PPM audience growth was consistently strong (+17% to +19%) across all demographics.
The analysis shows the biggest gains came on weekends and nights. Cumulus found that the AQH for Monday to Friday 7 p.m. to midnight increased 31%, and weekends were up 23.8%.
Meanwhile, “Spring 2025 PPM format shares are remarkably stable.” He provided a ranking of the PPM “share” held by each radio format, and compared fall to spring. The adult contemporary, Spanish and urban formats continue to hold the top three slots.
“The rising PPM tide raises all format boats,” Bouvard wrote.
He also pointed out that network radio advertisers transact on Nielsen’s national audience service called “Nielsen Nationwide.” He says WW1’s Scott Anekstein conducted a national AQH analysis using the spring PPM markets and all diary markets from the fall survey. He found total U.S. 25–54 listening 7% higher in the spring.
The first Nielsen Nationwide survey to reflect the impact of the revised PPM data will be the Spring 2025 survey that publishes in September, Bouvard wrote.
The growth in PPM audiences will cause top market indices to increase for all U.S. network radio audiences, he said.
“Network radio advertisers often assess the proportion of impressions that are generated by the largest markets. PPM markets have always had lower listening levels than diary markets due to the more exact nature of the Portable People Meter listening capture.
“Previously, 25–54 listening levels in the top 50 markets were –19% lower than the total U.S. This is due to the fact the PPM method represents the vast majority of AM/FM radio listening in the top 50 markets.”
Another insight from the Cumulus study indicates that ads will be more effective when stations run more ad breaks but of shorter duration. Advertisers stand out more in shorter breaks, according to the research.
“Since the introduction of the Portable Meter,” Bouvard wrote, “most AM/FM radio stations schedule their two commercial breaks around 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. This strategy was designed to maximize five-minute listening durations.
“A massive Portable People Meter study of 17,896,325 unique commercial breaks involving 61,902,473 minutes of advertising conducted by Nielsen, Media Monitors and Coleman Research reveals the shorter the ad break, the greater the audience retention.”
Two-minute ad breaks retain 99% of the lead-in audience. Six-minute ad breaks retain 85% of the lead in audience, Bouvard wrote.
Bouvard listed four takeaways from the increases in PPM listening:
- The trend of AM/FM radio surpassing TV in ratings will accelerate.
- 2025 post-buy analyses will overachieve 2024 media plans.
- AM/FM radio, “already America’s number one mass reach media,” he wrote, will experience reach growth in advertising schedules.
- AM/FM radio ads will become more effective as stations increase the number of commercial breaks with shorter durations.
