Katz reports that 95% of NFL fans identify AM/FM radio—over the air and its station streams—as the best way to follow games when they’re not in front of a screen. The finding, based on a September analysis of football fans, underscores radio’s unique strengths: instant play-by-play, trusted local voices, and ubiquitous in-car access that turns errands, commutes, and tailgates into live listening occasions.
The company frames the result as a planning reminder for brands tempted to build “audio” around pure streaming. Radio’s combination of scale and proximity to the point of purchase puts marketers in the middle of gameday rituals: pregame drives to stadiums and sports bars, in-game runs for food and gear, and postgame traffic surges. Katz says those moments are where sponsorships such as pregame shows, drive-time updates, two-minute-warning features, and “play of the game” integrations deliver both recall and sales lift.
Listening modes are diverse but complementary. Fans lean on flagship team stations and network affiliates for full-game coverage, while station and league apps extend access to headphones and smart speakers. Spanish-language play-by-play broadens reach in markets with large Latino fan bases, and overnight rebroadcasts and morning recaps keep the conversation alive beyond the final whistle.
For media buyers, the guidance is to start with broadcast reach, then layer digital for incremental frequency and niche segments. Recommended dayparts include Thursday and Monday evening commutes, Sunday late morning into late afternoon, and the high-attentive postgame window. Geo-targeting around stadiums, park-and-ride lots, bars, and grocery corridors can tighten waste, while short-form creative with live score mentions or offer codes tied to quarters and timeouts performs well.
Katz’s takeaway is blunt: when the audience is moving, radio moves with them. To capture fans in real time—and the wallets that travel with them—put AM/FM at the center of the plan and let streaming and podcasts extend the edges.