Nielsen Notes December's Top Formats

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Nielsen reports December share for Country stations fall on the other side of the holiday music story, as they typically see their audiences shrink as a result of Christmas music.

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December marks the fifth consecutive month of declining shares (among listeners 6+) for Country, which posted a 7.7% this month, down from 7.9% in November. For context, the format stood at 7.8% last December. That means this year’s results to date are in line with what we saw in 2013. When the holiday book releases next month Nielsen expects to have the full picture on where Country will begin 2015 as it looks to reverse the trend of declining shares.

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Below are some additional headlines from Nielsen’s December PPM data across 45 markets using the full-week (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-midnight) daypart audience shares.

• Urban Contemporary remained in the news, as more classic hip-hop stations came online. Thanks in no small part to that growing trend, Urban Contemporary picked up in December right where it left off last month, breaking November’s record results for listeners 6+ (3.4%) and 25-54 (3.8%) while tying the number for 18-34 year-olds (6.3%). 2014 was the most successful year for Urban Contemporary in PPM history, with the format finishing the year ranked sixth among all formats in the 18-34 demographic.
• And not to be outdone in the record-breaking department, Hot AC also finished the year on a strong note by matching August’s record results. The format posted a 6.5%  among audiences 6+, a 7.4%  with listeners aged 18-34, and a 7%  in the 25-54 demographic. All three of those results match the all-time best numbers set earlier in the year, and give Hot AC its best year under PPM measurement, as well. It finishes the year ranked fifth overall and fourth among listeners 25-54.