AM/FM Radio Still Dominates Sports Audio, Study Finds.

A new report finds that 67% of all sports audiences listen to sports audio programming — including commentary, analysis, play-by-play, and sports talk — and that 59% of sports audio listeners tune in via radio compared to just 36% for podcasts.

Those are among the key findings in Crowd React Media’s “State of Sports Media 2025” report. The research, based on a survey of 775 U.S. sports fans, shows that radio continues to play an outsized role in sports audio, even as digital alternatives grow.

“Sports audiences continue to defy the broader trends shaping the media landscape,” said Sean Bos, Co-Founder of Crowd React Media and VP of Research at Harker Bos Group. “Nearly six in ten sports fans now consume sports-related content every single day. Their intensity makes sports one of the most reliable forces driving audience loyalty and advertiser investment. Radio continues to be central to that story.”

The report stresses that AM/FM radio remains the most popular medium for sports audio. While new platforms have emerged, especially since the public debut of AI tools, traditional broadcast continues to dominate. “For all the technological innovation of recent years, you’d assume everyone would have ported over to digital,” the report notes. “That didn’t happen, and it won’t anytime soon.”

It also points to a mismatch between consumption and advertising spend. Podcast ad rates, it argues, remain high despite smaller reach, while radio delivers more listeners at lower cost. “Advertisers continue to undervalue radio’s reach and cultural import,” the report says. “Podcast ad prices are astronomical compared to the bargain bin of sports radio inventory. And not only are radio ads cheaper — they reach far more people.”

The study shows just how central traditional programming remains. Fully 98% of sports audio consumers listen to play-by-play broadcasts, while 97% follow commentary and analysis. Sports betting content attracts about a third of the audience, a level that has remained steady in recent years.

Podcasts, while still influential, slipped slightly. “The Pat McAfee Show” leads the category with a 32% reach, followed by “Club Shay Shay” (28%), “The Dan Patrick Show” (27%), and “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” (23%). Even “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” which soared in popularity during 2024, fell to 16% this year, an 11-point drop. The report notes that measurement was taken before news of Travis Kelce’s engagement to Taylor Swift, which could affect the show’s standing.

Sports fans also prove to be among the heaviest media consumers. More than a quarter spend at least four hours daily with sports content, and more than two-thirds devote at least two hours. This level of commitment, the report suggests, is a major reason radio remains a critical touchpoint: it captures audiences that return day after day.

Beyond audio, the research emphasizes that fandom itself has grown more intense. Nearly eight in ten people identify as avid sports fans, and 87% say they pay close attention to their favorite sports throughout the season and playoffs. That is up from 77% just three years ago. “There is no offseason for fandom,” the report states. “The speculation market — trades, drafts, deals — is an industry of its own. Sports content is habit-forming: packaged and delivered so consistently that audiences return almost compulsively.”

This engagement extends far beyond game time. Eighty-three percent of fans follow news about their favorite sports or teams, 72% monitor trades and deals even in the offseason, and 75% watch highlight shows. Two-thirds rely on commentary programs to stay informed. For 71% of respondents, following their teams is more than entertainment — it is part of their daily routine.

The research concludes that sports audiences behave differently from news consumers. “One thing is clear: sports fans don’t burn out the way news audiences do,” it says. “Unlike news, where heavy engagement is followed by cycles of avoidance, sports audiences remain locked in year-round, even in the offseason. If the NFL played 12 months a year, fans still wouldn’t stop watching.”