Nielsen Audio
Radio – Streaming – Podcast – Measurement
Audio is everywhere these days. It’s available on multiple platforms and devices, and it engages millions of listeners. In fact, radio alone reaches almost 270 million American listeners each week. That’s why Nielsen measures audio and makes it easier for advertisers to effectively value the medium and help determine its rightful place in the media planning mix. With Nielsen’s gold standard of audio measurement, advertisers can reach engaged local and national audiences—successfully using the science of measurement to connect with impassioned consumers to drive business success.
As with all Nielsen research, we are independent and scientific in our approach to radio measurement. Audio plays a large role in people’s media day. Evaluated through the same Nielsen lens as other media using directly comparable metrics, radio reaches more people of every generation than nearly any other content, according to our Nielsen Total Audience report. This report highlights how radio reaches more than 90% of the U.S. population each week.
Contact Us »Why Audio?
Nielsen measures audio campaign performance to evaluate the impact on business outcomes. From retail to recreation, custom proprietary studies designed to measure your key performance indicators illustrate how each radio campaign changes opinions and influences the actual behavior of people who heard the campaign. Combined with our television and digital measurement capabilities, Nielsen will show you how audio specifically—and uniquely—affects your overall campaigns.
Nielsen measures 80% of all U.S. credit card purchases. By combining this data with audio listener data, we can determine each campaign’s specific return on radio ad spend.
For each dollar spent in radio campaigns, advertisers in these categories received incremental
sales ranging from $9.48 to $23.21
Read as: Retailers realized $23.21 in incremental sales for each dollar spent on their radio campaign’s measured by Nielsen.
Cross Device
Nielsen’s audio measurement capabilities also shed light on radio’s ability to drive consumption of other media. For example, we can determine how radio ads drive television tune-in behavior.
Read as: On average 27% of people who heard the radio ad tuned to the program. However, 53% of people who heard the ad within 90 minutes of game time tuned to the program.
The Science of Measurement
With expansive proprietary panels, we measure how radio reinforces the entire advertising campaign.
The science of our measurement is through relentless commitment to excellence in evaluation of the aggregated and anonymized behavior of real people in every local market as well as nationally. We employ the best-in-class survey techniques to recruit and maintain ongoing representative participation from every segment of the population, including the hardest-to-reach demographics. Nielsen Audio measurement is sound, consistent and reliable.
Radio amplifies other advertising
When analyzing a radio ad campaign for an automotive dealership, Nielsen found that consumers who were exposed to ads on the radio had a 35% higher awareness of the TV ad than those who only saw it on TV.
How We Do It
Portable People Meter (PPM)
These audio measurement meters are used in 48 of the largest markets in the U.S. PPM panelists carry their meters throughout the day, and the meters record the audio they listen to. Nielsen uses the data to produce local ratings reports for each market, which it delivers monthly. The data is based on the average four weeks of survey results.
Diaries
Nielsen uses paper listening logs in more than 225 large and small markets. Diary panelists record their listening in one-week increments. This tried-and-true measurement technique remains the gold standard for hundreds of U.S. radio markets. Nielsen uses the diaries to produce local ratings reports, which it delivers quarterly or biannually, depending on the market. The data is based on the average of 12 weeks of survey results.
Streaming audio measurement
Nielsen Digital Audio measurement leverages census-based data collection, demographic information from leading third-party data providers and Nielsen’s high-quality measurement panels. The result is seamless audio measurement that provides an integrated view of the audience, regardless of platform. Measurement happens within a user’s app or player during consumption.
Podcast measurement
Nielsen follows on-demand and linear audio. Nielsen Scarborough provides detailed demographic and qualitative profiles of podcast listeners, and advertisers can connect with the fans of top celebrity podcast authors via Nielsen N-Score and Fanlinks. Nielsen is also incorporating its streaming measurement technology to track actual podcast consumption rather than just downloads.
RADAR
The RADAR service aggregates data from station-provided affidavits detailing when commercials air with actual radio listening data from all PPM and diary markets in the U.S. to identify the actual audience that hears specific advertisements.
"Nationwide" radio service
Nielsen’s nationwide service combines all PPM and diary markets and allows for on-the-fly custom combinations of radio stations to evaluate campaign delivery across two or more local markets.
Nielsen Audio Podcast
Press and Thought Leadership
Press Releases
- Smart TV Addressability Expands with Nielsen’s New Advanced Video Advertising Group, Acquisition of Sorenson Media
- Industry powerhouses Nielsen and NPD join forces to reimagine the future of Omnishopper Measurement
- Nielsen inks deal with Wine.com, expanding its online coverage with the country’s largest wine e-tailer
- Nielsen Broadens Convenience Channel Coverage with Casey’s General Stores Inc.
- Graham Media Group Renews Local TV Ratings with Nielsen
Recent Insights
- Media Melting Pot: Diverse Consumers Are Driving Usage On Handheld Platforms
- All Mixed Up: A Look at Cocktail Preferences Across the On-Premise Landscape
- Authenticity is the Key Ingredient for Brands with Personality
- Fast Fingers Drove Fan Engagement During the NBA All-Star Draft
- No Crystal Ball Required: What Data Tells Us About the Future of Esports