New radio measurement method: higher reach, shorter listening time

As of week 15 of this year, the NMO Listening Research has been adjusted. Where previously only listening sessions of three minutes or longer were counted, fragments of one or two minutes are now also included, provided they are measured based on encoding. This change has been implemented retroactively from January 2025.

What does this mean in practice?

• Higher reach: More short listening sessions are registered, resulting in an increase in net reach. This effect is visible across all target groups, particularly for smaller stations.

• Shorter listening time per person: Because short listening moments now count, the average listening time per reached listener decreases.

• Consistent pattern: In almost all target groups we see the same trend: more people reached, but on average slightly fewer minutes per person.

Impact for the market

For publishers and advertisers, this means that radio as a medium emerges stronger in terms of reach. At the same time, it requires a recalibration of interpretation: reach grows, while the intensity of listening per individual decreases.

Those deploying radio would do well to factor this dynamic into their planning: reach maximization becomes more important, while creative content and context remain decisive for attention and effect.

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