Nielsen Data Analyzed At Westwood One Blog Shows Radio Listening On The Rebound, A Third Of Consumers Ready To Spend

Rebound?

NIELSEN held client webinars FRIDAY (5/8) with data from new studies of consumer sentiment and spending intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic, fielded APRIL 30th through MAY 2nd, as well as PPM data collected MARCH 27th through MAY 6th, showing AM/FM radio listening rebounding in recent weeks, and WESTWOOD ONE's PIERRE BOUVARD has posted key findings from the research at the syndicator's blog.

In the report, NIELSEN data saw AM/FM listening at 67% of pre-pandemic levels in the MARCH 19th-APRIL 15th time period but recovering to 82% by APRIL 30th-MAY 6th. Weekend listening appears to have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with the most recent weekend at 94% recovery, 36% above APRIL's lows and displaying a "V-shaped" recovery.

Also, NIELSEN comparisons of MAY 6th this year and last year showed twenty radio markets back to over 80% of pre-pandemic levels and five markets exceeding 90% of last year's levels. Despite restrictions, out-of-home listening still makes up the majority of radio listening, with 47% of Americans still commuting and, among heavy AM/FM listeners who typically work out of home, 60% are still commuting. 58% of all AM/FM listening was out of home in APRIL as opposed to 71% in MARCH.

BOUVARD's analysis of the NIELSEN numbers includes some hints as to why the recovery is taking place, one being a 42% increase in driving search traffic in APPLE Maps, most recently at 75% of pre-pandemic levels, a pattern echoed by data from GEOPATH, which is showing weekly miles-traveled in the most recent measured week back to being just 11% less than the same week last year.

The NIELSEN COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment and Spending Intention Study of 1,000 adults divided consumers into three categories, "wait and see," "proceed with caution," and "ready to go," showing the latter ready to spend quickly, within a month (29% more likely to spend in a month on auto parts and repair, 47% more likely to spend on household services, and 43% more likely to spend on home improvement), and 29% more likely to be heavy AM/FM listeners.

See BOUVARD's post and analysis here.

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