Nielsen: May 2015 Top 5 Formats

PPM Markets (AQH Total Week)

Demo: 6+

Demo: 18-34

Demo: 25-54

Nielsen Key Takeaways:

• In May, Urban Contemporary re-wrote the record books for a second consecutive month, following up on a strong performance in April. It’s May share of audiences aged 6 and older (3.6%), 18-34 (6.6%) and 25-54 (4.1%) were all new highs under PPM measurement. Simply put, the last year-and-a-half has been the best stretch we’ve seen yet for Urban Contemporary, and Nielsen now tracking the format as a contender in the race for this summer’s crown. 
• Last year, Classic Hits quietly came on strong down the stretch and claimed the distinction of top summer format, growing its share of audience by 10% over the summer months. This time around, it’s off to a similar start and gained ground in May. The 6+ audience shares trended 5.0%-5.3% from April to May, 18-34 shares increased from 3.2% to 3.4% and with listeners aged 25-to-54 the trend was 4.1%-4.5%. All of these results are on par with or slightly ahead of where the format sat a year ago, putting Classic Hits squarely into the race this summer.
• For Pop CHR, despite cooling a bit in May, the 2012 summer format winner is still setting a faster pace this year than any of the last four.
• Country's seasonal warm weather growth trend continued in May, marking the third straight month of growth across all three of the listener groups. And similar to April’s results, the May numbers continue to pace ahead of 2012 and 2013, but still lag behind last year’s record-setting run.  Country’s 8.0% share among all listeners 6+ is the first time the format has been back above an 8-share since October 2014. The most recent three-month trend has seen Country grow 7.6%-7.8%-8.0%. The 18-34 audience (8.5%-9.0%-9.3%) and 25-54 audience (7.4%-7.6%-7.8%) have also followed suit, with the growth among younger listeners being the most dramatic.