Internet Radio's Advantage: Low Ad Loads

Digital radio averages just 2:29 minutes of ads per hour, barely a quarter of what terrestrial radio runs, a major draw for listeners.

According to Media Life Magazine, when you ask media buyers and planners to list their beefs with traditional radio, one of the first things they’ll mention is commercial clutter.

Ad breaks are crammed with so many spots that advertisers’ messages become lost amidst a steady flow of commercials, about nine minutes per hour, according to past studies.

Terrestrial radio has experimented with cutting back on ad loads—remember Clear Channel’s less is more—but it’s never really worked.

Little wonder then that advertisers are drawn to internet radio, where ad loads are significantly lower.

A new study from XAPP Media, a service that connects advertisers and broadcasters, finds that digital radio averaged just 2 minutes and 29 seconds of ads per hour during fourth quarter of last year, down from 2 minutes and 44 seconds at the same time the previous year.

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