As we move into Semi-Final territory this week, savvy marketers are chomping at the bit for the best ways to reach these loyal fans during basketball season and all year. If you want a shot at reaching these loyal sports fans, check out why advertising to College Basketball fans on Audio is a nothing-but-net play. 

Audio is one of the best ways to reach folks as they obsess over their brackets this week. It’s better than subscription video on demand (SVOD) – while only 74% of College Basketball fans are monthly SVOD users, a whopping 93% are listening to Audio, including radio, podcasts, and streaming radio. And they are +85% more likely to be listening to sports radio than using SVOD services. 

While they’re keeping their eyes on the games – not so much on social media. Only 20% of College Basketball fans are heavy social media users who spend at least three hours a day on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. The remaining are either light or moderate social media users.

Audio sports fans are fiercely loyal to their teams, local voices, and, of course, the big tournaments. For them, home is where the ball is, and they integrate sports into just about every aspect of their lives. As they go about their daily rituals, 84% of sports fans are consuming Audio, and 64% say they’re most engaged with Audio right before tuning into a game. Turning to one of the most coveted audience segments, Gen Z, who are even more likely to be listening to these games. Compared to average, Gen Z is +41% more likely to listen to sports radio. And a significant portion of these younger listeners (72%) are most engaged with Audio before the game, offering media professionals the opportunity to scale plans and increase ad effectiveness.

Now, not only are you reaching College Basketball fans in their most engaged moments through Audio, but those listeners also have significant spending power: The typical College Basketball fan listening to Audio is +36% more likely than average to earn $100k+, and +50% more likely to earn $250k+.

So as the matchups – and cheering – get more intense, don’t be caught off-guard with your marketing plans. Audio is the most reliable place to reach the highest concentration of those coveted College Basketball fans. And at Audacy, we are proud to be the #1 Sports Audio destination, reaching 69 million loyal sports fans weekly.