via MediaWeek
While the vast majority of Super Bowl fans turned to TV to watch the game, they often turn to radio for pre- and post- game coverage. According to a custom sports study released Wednesday from Arbitron, 35 percent of Indianapolis Adults 18 and older, and 24 percent of Chicago Adults, listened to pre-game or post-game coverage of the Super Bowl on the radio.
“Chicago has a reputation for being a sports-savvy town, but for this one event, Indianapolis fans showed more fervor than the big city residents,” said Mason Meyer, manager of custom sports sales for Arbitron. Arbitron conducted the study the day after the game on Monday, Feb. 5.
Sports Talk radio drew huge audiences for the run-up to Sunday’s game. More than half of the Adults in both home-team cities, 54 percent in Indianapolis and 52 percent in Chicago, said they listened to Sports Talk radio during the week before the game. Of those listeners, 37 percent said they listened more than usual. Post-game radio listening was higher in the winning town, with 22 percent of Indianapolis respondents saying they listened to post-game radio coverage compared to 10 percent in Chicago.
No surprise that the radio audience pales in comparison to the TV audience with 93 percent in Indianapolis and 82 percent in Chicago saying they watched some part of the pre-game, game and post-game coverage on TV.
As expected, out-of-home TV viewing was also high. Thirty percent of Indianapolis adults watched the Super Bowl outside their own home, 92 percent at a friend’s or family member’s home. Only 6 percent of out of home viewing was in a bar or restaurant.
In Chicago, 28 percent of adults said they viewed the game outside their own home with 76 percent going to a friend’s or family’s home for the vent. Only 9 percent of out of home viewing was in a bar or restaurant.
A good percentage of viewers said they paid “very close attention” to the TV commercials, 39 percent in Indianapolis and 37 percent in Chicago.
