With still a month of Major League Baseball games ahead in a packed postseason, there are encouraging findings from a Katz Radio Group survey of 800 fans, where 76% listen to MLB radio broadcasts of games at least once a week or more, and 72% of those listeners are engaged with the advertising on those games.
The survey, reported in Katz Radio Group's “Sound Answers” blog, was conducted among respondents identifying themselves as either “big” or “casual” MLB fans, where 40% were more likely to be in that “big fan” category. Not only did three-fourths say they listen to MLB radio broadcasts weekly, but nine in 10 (91%) agreed that “radio broadcasts are a good way to bring the games to me when I can't be home to watch,” and 87% felt their team's radio play-by-play announcers do a great job calling the game.
“Radio is available on-the-go, reaching fans where and when TV cannot,” Katz's report says, “and regardless of where they are, they don't seem to feel like they are missing out on the experience.”
“Play-by-play listeners are engaged with all aspects of MLB, including the advertisers they hear on-air during games,” the report adds, backing that up with findings that seven in 10 MLB radio listeners (72%) notice the brands that advertise during games, 22% more than average fans. Additionally, two-thirds (66%) said they are more willing to use brands advertised during their favorite team’s games, 32% higher than average, and 69% have a better opinion of the sponsors of their favorite team's play-by-play, 33% greater than average.
The survey also found that game listeners are generally more engaged with their teams, showing that in many ways, several of which bode well for advertisers. They're 35% more likely than the sample overall to watch a game at a bar or restaurant, with 69% saying they have done so, and 74% more likely to have placed a bet on MLB action. They also show a 71% greater likelihood to have listened to a baseball podcast, are 24% more likely to follow teams or players on social media, and 43% more likely to attend games in person, having been to an average 2.5 games this season.
“Compared to the average MLB fan in the survey, those who tune in to games on the radio displayed a deep fandom for the sport and the league,” Katz's report says. “Radio offers new opportunities for brands to connect with receptive MLB fans, [as] listeners demonstrated a desire for even more ways to engage with MLB content than the average fan.”