Brands only spending on television this football season are missing out. New research finds that AM/FM listeners following the NFL season rate their engagement higher than video viewers, mute TV broadcasts to hear the radio call, and tune in earlier across the year.
The findings, analyzed by the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, draw on a Westwood One-commissioned Quantilope survey of 750 adults conducted in February, a companion study fielded in June 2026, and 2026 Winter MRI-Simmons USA data.
Radio listeners rated their passion for the 2025 NFL season at an average of 8.5 on a 10-point scale, compared with 7.9 among video viewers. Sixty percent of the audio audience rated their engagement a nine or 10, versus 46% of the video audience, and 39% of Westwood One listeners said they have muted their television broadcast to hear the radio call.
Listeners proved receptive to advertising on the medium, too. AM/FM radio listeners were 92% more likely than TV viewers to be “super influential” consumers across categories including automobiles, coffee and finance, per 2026 Winter MRI-Simmons data. Twenty-seven percent said radio advertising gives them useful bargain information, compared with 8% of TV viewers who said the same about television ads.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: https://radioink.com/2026/08/04/study-nfls-radio-audience-more-engaged-than-tvs-for-2026/