Sirius XM Radio may have 18.5 million subscribers, but it has 32 million weekly listeners, according to study conducted by Arbitron for the satellite radio company.
Conducted last October and November, the study excluded Sirius XM's commercial-free music channels and focused on the channels that air advertising, including its News, Talk, Sports and Entertainment channels. Only a small percentage total revenue, Sirius XM's advertising on commercial channels was down more than 31 percent for the first three quarters of 2009.
On average, the study found that listeners spent more than seven hours a week listening to the channels that air commercials. Not surprising, subscribers to Sirius XM spend 62 percent of their listening time tuned to Sirius XM compared to 16 percent to AM/FM radio, 4 percent to streaming Internet and 10 percent using mobile devices.
The study also found that Sirius XM's listening audiences tended to be more educated and more affluent than AM/FM radio listeners and the general population. They are also 61 percent more likely to stay with a commercial than listeners to AM/FM radio.
"In a time of divergent media and ever greater competition for consumers' attention, this Arbitron study leads national advertisers to a highly prized premium consumer audience," said Kathleen Mahoney, vp of market research for Sirius XM.