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Time for a 5-Minute Timeout

Contributor: Rich Tunkel, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio

If you think three minutes goes by quickly you can try holding your breath, although it’s not recommended. I doubt you’ve ever spent half that time with a single social video or post, but you’d still be included in the impression figures. Advertisers credit just a few seconds as an impression when it comes to digital video ads. But until now, radio has required a full five minutes of exposure for a listener to qualify to be part of the audience.

Five minutes is still adequate (and logical) in Diary methodology where few people record shorter occasions, but in electronic markets the 5-minute threshold leaves valuable advertising impressions uncounted. Taking advantage of the detailed analysis only possible with PPM, earlier this year Nielsen analyzed all listening events and found that nearly half (45%) of all occasions are shorter than five minutes. Most of these short-duration occasions are captured with a small change to a 3-minute qualifier. Three minutes is meaningful time spent with media which could fit six 30-second ads or a typical song (songs average just under three minutes in length these days). It is more important than ever that Nielsen reports all the audience for both advertisers and the broadcasters that create the content.

Starting with the January 2025 PPM survey period (running January 9 – February 5), Nielsen Audio is making this data-driven change to a 3-minute qualifier and modernizing measurement in our PPM markets.  The result is that radio and its advertisers will get credit for more of the audience that hears their ads and content.  

To be clear: nothing else about the data Nielsen delivers to PPM markets will change – not the software you use, nor the kinds of audience and campaign estimates you consider (AQH, Cume, GRPs etc.). The only change will be gains in audience size. The additional audience will come both from newly reported listeners to radio stations who listen in shorter bursts, and additional reported moments from existing listeners – both of which were previously uncounted. The overall 6+ full week improvement in a given survey is meaningful: 24% more audience and impressions (on average) to radio compared to today’s 5-minute qualifier.  

Audience improvements will vary across stations, campaigns and demographics of course, but as a general theme younger audiences will grow more and the stations, campaigns and markets that serve them will see the largest gains. Regular seasonal patterns in radio audience listening levels will continue on a month-to-month basis, as will panel-based variability.

This change to a 3-minute qualifier has implications for broadcasters to consider including experimenting with the length, quantity and placement of commercial stop sets. Advertisers will need to consider how to best plan for and evaluate campaigns in 2025 that will count delivery of this previously unreported audience. The adjustments broadcasters and advertisers make will likely be as varied and diverse as the media and ad campaigns themselves. Regardless, Nielsen will be here to count the full audience for all of our clients. 

Three minutes will be an important improvement to the way radio is measured in 2025, and the industry won’t have to hold its breath for a more inclusive report of radio audiences.

If you have questions, please be sure to reach out to ppm3minquestions@nielsen.com to get answers on how this will impact you.

Click here to view Nielsen produced resources available on RAB.com.

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