Radio's Status as Media Powerhouse Endures 

We start the new year with a fresh look at the media landscape, analyzing the latest Audience Insights data from Nielsen. This data from 3rd Quarter 2023 highlights radio's continued relevance in consumers' lives, even as media behaviors evolve.    

RADIO TOPS THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE 

As in all previous analyses from Nielsen, radio earns the title of #1 media platform in America, ahead of all other measured media, both digital and linear. Over 214 million adults tune in to radio each week, delivering 84% of the adult population. Radio's high reach extends across age breaks, holding the top spot among A50-64 (89%) and A35-49 (tied for 1st at 86%), and 2nd place for both A18-34 (77%) and A65+ (85%). 

Chart is interactive; click to toggle and enlarge.

Smartphone app/web is radio's nearest competitor for the top position among all age breaks except A65+. This digital platform encompasses video-based, social networking, and streaming audio app/web users within its audience, meaning consumers of AM/FM's digital content are represented under this umbrella. 

Television, the other traditional media on the list, comes in -30.5M below radio for A18+, with its percent reach hitting as low as 50% of A18-34 to as high as 90% of A65+. And a relevant reminder for those of us whose jobs involve sitting at computer every day: more people in every age break listen to the radio than use the internet on a computer. That works out to +56M more A18+ each week engaging with radio than using the internet on a computer.

Nielsen's Audience Insights data serves as a valuable media "report card," informing marketers and industry insiders that radio continues to hold a prominent place in the media landscape. Consumers of all ages engage with AM/FM content, even as their behaviors trend towards digital options.