Millennials Still Listen to Radio

With the overwhelming popularity of social media and mobile technology that both reach massive audiences with minimal effort, it isn't surprising that some believe radio is no longer the entertainment titan it once was. Despite this concern, new findings from Nielsen Media Research suggest that radio (and radio-based marketing) is far more relevant than you might think.

Millennials Spend More Time with Radio Than Social Media

According to the Nielsen Total Audience Report: Quarter One, 2018, on a weekly basis, millennials spend more time listening to the radio than they do using social media applications on smartphones. While Nielsen's report claims that as many as 60 million millennials use their smartphones for social networking, it also found that even more listen to the radio—approximately 69 million in total; in other words, 82% of millennials use social media apps on a weekly basis while 91% of millennials regularly listen to radio broadcasts. 

91% of millennials regularly listen to radio broadcasts.

Radio Reaches a Larger Audience Than Other Platforms

The Nielsen Total Audience Report also compared radio to television-enabled devices and computers with internet access. The report found that radio has both the largest reach of the three—91%, compared to 59% and 62% respectively—and, on average, is used the most by millennials during a typical week.

To reach this conclusion, Nielsen looked at the average number of minutes a typical millennial uses each device during a normal week: internet is accessed around 270 minutes a week, television roughly 525, and radio nearly 600. 

Nielsen's findings demonstrate that the reach of radio broadcasting should not be underestimated. Despite the ever-growing popularity of social media, smartphone technology, and internet-based advertising, radio still plays a notable role in the average person's weekly routine—even if they're a millennial.