The consumer is now in charge of what they want and how they want their content produced and delivered. Here is where things are as 2026 begins:

• Content Distribution – People have more content platforms available than ever before. The old school platforms of television, radio and newspapers are fighting for their survival. Most of my broadcast career has been spent on the radio. No matter what platform, the choices on how to receive and produce content are in an ongoing state of change.
• Content Saturation – This is real, there are so many sources to find content that matters to an individual person. We live in a world of on-demand programming. If there is something you are looking for it is easily accessible wherever you are and whenever you want to consume it.
• Competition – In the past it was simple to know what you are up against. Today, it is much more complicated. There are so many places consumers can get the content they are looking for.

With all that in mind, it is critical to have a strategy for whatever platform you are working on. How many times have you heard the phrase “we have always done it this way”?

Over the years, I have seen resistance from many people to change. During my journey, I was fortunate to work in positions where change was embraced and even mandated. Every year, there are more options for consumers to find what they are looking for, much of this driven by technology and new platforms. There was once a world with no internet, no cellphones, no Facebook, no YouTube, and no social media.

This is where developing a smart, strategic action plan comes into play. To move forward in an ever-changing environment, it is important to take a step back and ask yourself, “What am I going to stop doing?” If you are going to adjust your content strategy, there are certain aspects from the past you need to consider stopping so you can update your priorities. There is only so much time in a day, and if you are going to add innovative ideas, it is imperative to stop certain practices so you can move things in a new direction.

The beginning of the year is a good time to build a plan for reviewing strategies and evaluating what you should stop doing, so you have time to establish new approaches that support your priorities and improve performance.

Action Steps

• Put together a group of folks that represent the core values of your organization. Outline the goal of reviewing what works and what does not work.
• Identify all the competitors that you need to have a strategy for.
• Discuss practices/strategies that are no longer effective in driving success.
• Set a deadline for determining whether the items everyone agrees upon are no longer relevant.
• Once the group agrees, the next step is to determine several new priorities that everyone feels they can have an influence over.
• Set up planning sessions to explore the best strategies in moving forward.
• Determine new priorities for the year ahead.

The media world is evolving at an accelerated pace. With more platforms for content, understanding what is expected, and how content is delivered, is increasingly important. This is why a complete review of the process makes sense. It allows us to better understand what consumers want in terms of the programming they seek and which platforms they prefer for receiving content. Setting a timeline is also an important part of the process to ensure time is not wasted.

Taking time early in the year to step back and review processes is a smart use of time.

The post 2026 – What will you STOP doing? appeared first on Crowd React Media.

“Each year, our State of Media report reveals how audiences engage with content across platforms. In 2025, one story stands out above all others: sports audiences continue to defy the broader trends shaping the media landscape,” said Sean Bos, Co-Founder of Crowd React Media and VP of Research at Harker Bos Group. “Nearly six in ten sports fans now consume sports-related content every single day, a sharp and statistically significant lift over recent years. This unwavering commitment makes sports one of the most reliable forces driving audience loyalty, advertiser investment, and even the survival of entire platforms.”

Key Takeaways from the Report

Radio

• AM/FM Radio Remains the King of Sports Audio
  • 59% of sports audio listeners tune via AM/FM compared to just 36% for podcasts.
  • Advertisers continue to undervalue radio’s reach, even as it delivers larger audiences at lower costs.
  • Local sports talk remains the money-maker with loyal, engaged listeners.

Television

• Sports Content Is Propping Up Cable
  • Cable use among sports fans grew to 51% in 2025, reversing years of decline.
  • Cable retains older audiences, while streaming frustrates with higher costs and fragmented rights.
  • ESPN cable viewership dropped 15 points year-over-year, though ESPN.com remains the top sports site (70%).
• The Streaming Ecosystem Is in Flux — and ESPN’s Transition Is Risky
  • ESPN’s plan to launch Select and Unlimited streaming tiers risks alienating older viewers.
  • ESPN+ (52%) trails ESPN cable (61%), and confusion over subscriptions may slow adoption.
  • Skyrocketing rights costs and profitability pressures remain unresolved.
• Live Games Still Rule — But TV Is the Bedrock
  • 53% of fans prefer watching live games above all else; another 35% split between live and analysis.
  • 55% attended a live event in the past 6 months — but television remains the foundation of fandom.
  • The living room couch continues to be the “best seat in the house.”

Digital & Social

• Sports Fans Are a High-Usage, High-Conversion Audience
  • 28% consume 4+ hours of sports content daily; 68% at least 2 hours.
  • 68% actively post or comment, and 94% regularly read sports news.
  • Engagement has not faded post-pandemic, unlike general media consumption.
• Social Is a Core Arena for Fandom
  • YouTube dominates highlights (87%), followed by Facebook (69%) and Instagram (62%).
  • Twitter/X declined from 55% in 2022 to 41% in 2025, while TikTok surged to 51%.
  • Sports fans rival political and pop culture fandoms in content creation and commentary.
• Digital Aggregators Outpace Legacy Brands
  • Bleacher Report (29%) outdraws Sports Illustrated (23%), Yahoo Sports (23%), and The Athletic (9%).
  • Legacy brands no longer guarantee digital dominance.
  • Aggregators and newer platforms are now central to sports news consumption.

Sports & Fan Behavior

• Football Is the Center of Gravity in U.S. Sports
  • 81% of fans follow football, compared to 63% for basketball and 54% for baseball.
  • Football dominates cultural identity, attention, and advertiser spend.
  • Even non-fans typically watch the Super Bowl, underscoring its universal reach.
• No Offseason: Fans Stay Engaged Year-Round
  • 87% follow their sport through season and playoffs (up from 77% in 2022).
  • 72% track trades, deals, and speculation in the offseason.
  • 71% say following their sport or team is part of daily life.

Betting & Fantasy

• Sports Betting and Fantasy Plateau at High Levels
  • 58% of sports fans have bet on sports; 70% of past bettors remain active.
  • Growth has plateaued, with legalization — not demand — as the main limiter.
  • FanDuel (56%) and DraftKings (51%) dominate, while ESPN BET is rising at 25%.

Access the Full Report

• Access Link: https://crowdreactmedia.com/state-of-sports-media-2025/

About Crowd React Media

Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group, is a leading provider of audience and advertising research across radio, TV, podcasts, and digital platforms. Founded as Harker Bos Group in 1989, Crowd React Media continues its legacy of helping media companies and brands grow through actionable, strategic insights.

For media inquiries, advance access to upcoming content, or interview requests:

Katie Miller
Co-Founder, Crowd React Media & VP, Client Relations, Harker Bos Group
Crowd React Media & Harker Bos Group
Email: katie@crowdreactmedia.com

The post [PRESS RELEASE] Crowd React Media Releases Fourth Annual State of Sports Media 2025 Report appeared first on Crowd React Media.

…And If you haven’t already downloaded our State of Spanish Language Media 2025 Report we would advise you to do so now!

Click on the links below to watch each video.

How Important Is Soccer to Spanish-Language Audiences?
Katie and Scott discuss soccer being second-fiddle to American Football among Spanish-Language audiences in the US.

How Sports Keep Spanish-Language Audiences Plugged In
Scott talks about how the best personalities and stars of sports media have sort of a grounding effect on audiences in a way they feel like they are part of a larger community.

Building the Female Spanish-Language Sports Audience
Scott and Katie discuss the challenges facing Spanish-Language sports media in developing a female audience. Scott goes on to highlight some potential avenues for growth.

Serving Gen Z Streamers and OTA Loyalists — Is It Possible?
Scott and Katie discuss catering to both your digital and OTA audiences while keeping an eye towards innovation.  You basically need entirely different models that account for the divergent attributes of the demographics that seek either sort of media content.

The Toughest Challenges in Building for Both Streaming & OTA
Scott and Katie explore how to build both a streaming and OTA business model while adapting to evolving market pressures.  Hint: Throw the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality out the window.

How Advertisers Can Tap Into Spanish-Language Sports Passion —The Smart Way

Katie and Scott talk about how to harness the passion of Spanish-Language sports audiences.  It’s all about one-on-one relationship.  You’re not making a pitch at an audience.  You’re having a conversation with individual members of the audience.

Where Spanish-Language Sports Coverage Is Headed by 2030
Scott and Katie discuss the future of Spanish-Language sports coverage. It’s down to broadcasters to tell the stories that people want to hear.  The upcoming World Cup might drive viewership towards soccer more generally.

We hope you enjoyed this quick series as this entire project has been a delight in putting together.

Whether you’re creating content, managing talent, or just trying to keep up with a rapidly changing landscape, these short interviews are a great starting point.

If you’d like to learn more about the State of Spanish Language Media 2025 or how we’re helping media brands navigate what’s next, get in touch or check out the full report.

– Sean Bos
Cofounder, Crowd React Media

The post A 7-Part Interview Series with Scott Masteller on our Findings from the State of Spanish Language Media 2025 Report appeared first on Crowd React Media.

This year’s study offers a rare, in-depth look at how Spanish-speaking Hispanic audiences in the U.S. are engaging with radio, streaming TV, podcasts, social media, music streaming, and more. Drawing from a nationally representative sample of Spanish-dominant and bilingual Hispanic adults, it reveals where audiences are most active, what content they trust, and which platforms are winning their time and attention.

Whether you’re a radio station, TV network, podcaster, content creator, or advertiser, you’ll find actionable insights to help you connect more effectively with this growing and influential audience.

Last year’s report set the stage. This year, we’ve expanded the scope, updated the comparisons to our State of Media 2025 (English-language) report, and uncovered new trends that can help guide your programming, marketing, and ad strategies.

Read the full report now

The post The State of Spanish-Language Media 2025 Is Here appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Live Monday, May 5th

What happens when you stop looking at just who uses each media platform—and start looking at who’s actually converting?

The State of Media 2025 goes live Monday, May 5, and this year’s report digs deeper than ever before.

Now in its second year, this annual snapshot offers a comprehensive look at American media habits—from traditional to digital, audio to video, daily habits to deeper engagement. And in 2025, we’re taking it one step further by introducing conversion as a key lens. It’s a powerful, often-overlooked metric that reveals not just reach—but resonance.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

• One traditional media platform quietly keeps up with it’s digital counterpart in conversion—yes, really.

• Several audio formats that appear stable on the surface are showing subtle signs of decline when compared to 2024.

• We’re seeing a reset of media habits post-pandemic, with some surprising demographic shifts… and some areas showing remarkable stability.

• Plus: data across all major platforms—radio, TV (cable and streaming), podcasts, YouTube, video games, and more.

Want to get a sense of what to expect? Take a look at last year’s report, then mark your calendar.

The State of Media 2025 goes live Monday, May 5. You won’t want to miss what’s changed—and what hasn’t.

The post The State of Media 2025 appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Recent Publications:

Ordered by most recently published.

• • State of TV News 2025
    The inaugural report on the state of TV News. Designed specifically for news stations, this report provides actionable insights and strategies to help broadcasters adapt and succeed in this new landscape.
    Read More
  • State of Sports Media 2024
    The third annual report on the state of sports media across all channels, including radio, tv, digital, social and more.
    Read More

• • State of Media 2024: Video Sales Deck
    A downloadable PowerPoint deck with video findings from our State of Media 2024 report, showcasing broadcast television’s resilience and continued success, and ready to be used in your Sales team’s next sales deck!
    Read More
  • State of Media 2024: Radio Sales Deck
    A downloadable PowerPoint deck with radio data from our State of Media 2024 report, showing the strength of radio, and ready to be used in your Sales team’s next sales deck!
    Read More
  • State of Spanish-language Media 2024: Video Edition
    This whitepaper focuses on Spanish-language video media, including local and national news.
    Read More
  • State of Spanish-language Media 2024: Audio Edition
    This whitepaper focuses on the unique aspects and developments within Spanish-language audio media.
    Read More
  • State of Media 2024
    Our flagship report offers a broad overview of the media industry, highlighting key shifts and emerging trends across various platforms.
    Read More

Coming Soon:

More to be announced shortly!

—

We strive to keep you informed and ahead of the curve with our ongoing research and insights. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest updates.

The post Latest Research appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Our State of TV News 2025 report breaks down key trends shaping the industry, including:

• The continued strength of local news on cable
• The rise of streaming news, with YouTube leading the charge
• How TV stations can adapt to a hybrid media world

Get the full report here: State of TV News 2025

The post The Future of TV News: What Our Latest Research Reveals appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Over my journey in the media business, I have found that true achievers are always learning and looking to the future. Yes, we can learn from looking back. However, we tend to do too much of that and not plan for what lies ahead.

I remember back in 1996 I was a Program Director for a sports radio station in Salt Lake City while also hosting an afternoon sports show with former NBA Coach Tom Nissalke. In addition to hosting the show I was responsible for running the control studio board. That was the last time we used tape cartridges for commercials and production elements. Technology was changing.  One of the interesting memories from that year, was one day we were all asked to gather in a meeting room. At that session, we were introduced to this new concept called e-mail. We were each given Hotmail Accounts.  My how things have changed since then.

2025 is quite different from 1996.  2030 will be different from 2025, which may seem hard to imagine. This all begs the question…. Are you ready for 2030? Seems like a long time away, but the reality is that it is right around the corner.

One of the most important lessons for me was during my time with ABC/ESPN in Dallas from 2001 to 2006.  This is where the value of long-term planning became particularly important to me.  All departments participated in the annual 5-year planning process.  The immediate focus was on the year ahead; however, we were required to look beyond and to anticipate expenses as well as strategies.

Fast forward to 2025, and the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. The reality is that things are NOT going to slow down anytime soon. The legacy media which includes newspapers, television, and my world of radio, must find ways to adapt to the new landscape.

With change there are opportunities….in radio (audio) there is the one constant….” It is all about the content!”  The consumer has more power than ever.  They are demanding in what they want to watch or listen to. Understanding your audience and what they want has never been more important as they have many sources to get what they want.  Just as critical is understanding how the listener consumes your content.  This includes the various platforms that are available as well as the way the programming is presented

Some of the key challenges/opportunities in front of us today include the following:

• Too many content providers are living in the past. “This is how we have always done things.”
• The rapid decline in attention spans. Nielsen recently changed the criteria for quarter-hour credit. It used to require a panelist to listen for 5 minutes inside a 15-minute quarter-hour. That has now moved to 3:00 as research shows 45% of those surveyed listen for less than 5 minutes.
• Streaming is only going to grow in importance to the consumer. They want their content when they want it and where they want it.
• With streaming comes more competition. Any organization or person can start their own production and generate an audience.
• Social media plays an outsized role in developing loyalty among audiences.
• Personalities that stand out will continue to drive audience engagement

With all this to consider, how can you think about even looking ahead 5 years? The smart leaders know that part of this is about anticipating how things will evolve. Look at the issues TV and Radio are facing.  The amount of cord cutting with cable continues to increase on a yearly basis.  The number of platforms where you can hear audio content is developing by the day. The average screen time for an iPhone owner is over 3 hours per day.

Makes sense more than ever to have regular conversations looking ahead. If we stay in the present, we are going to get passed by someone else that has a true vision for where things are going. Take time, when possible, to talk to your customers (content consumers and advertisers) about what they want and how they decide what to watch/listen. Schedule meetings at least twice per year to look to the future beyond the current 12 months.

The bottom line, change is constant. The status quo is no longer an option for sustained success, as those that are nimble, flexible, and adaptable will have the best chance to win in the long run.  Research whether done internally or externally should be a key component of long-term planning. Never assume things are going to stay the same in the future.

• Important to always be learning and looking to the future.

• Technology is changing all the time.

• Planning must be more than immediate – look ahead 5 years.

• 2030 will be much different than 2025.

• With change there are opportunities.

• Decline in attention spans is an important consideration.

• Streaming is only going to grow.

• Content saturation is real.

• Change will be constant.

The post Do you have a plan? appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Here are our predictions:

• Traditional Radio persists in the digital age
  • Our whitepapers serve to demonstrate the remarkable resilience of traditional radio in the age of streaming and social media. The localism and community inherent to radio, particularly with sports talk and Hispanic radio, give it a foothold in a turbulent period of legacy media upheaval.  Radio broadcasters are also not tech-shy.  Digital streams of local stations are musts for any broadcaster hoping to survive in this environment.  And the good news is, people are listening.  More than half the country regularly listens to traditional radio.  The trajectory of cable and radio in the streaming era couldn’t be starker.  An artist having a song in regular rotation on radio stations lends credibility to that artist in a way that streaming does not.  Among the first stops for any reputable publicity team are the station heads for new music formats.  Radio airplay simply confers credibility and will continue to do so.
• Cable is just streaming now
  • Cable will rise again, albeit in the form of streaming. Cable companies are in for a rough 2025 with continued cord-cutting into the latter half of the 2020s.  However, streaming will increasingly resemble broadcast cable, especially with regards to cost.  Investors will be pushing hard to recoup their initial investment into streaming, resulting in price-hikes, increased ad-visibility, tiered ad plans, and expensive pay-per view special event offerings.  The increasingly byzantine package-deals within pre-existing subscriptions to streaming platforms will have many customers feeling they traded out their cable boxes for a near-identical experience with streaming boxes and smartTVs.

• Podcasts are primarily a video-based medium, an on-demand version of Daytime TV
  • Whether it’s Joe Rogan, Call her Daddy, New Heights, or virtually any True Crime series, what you’re basically consuming is a newfangled version of The Ellen Show, The View, or Nancy Grace. There will be an audio component to podcasts, but that is for the audio ‘purists’. Parasocial relationships are the norm nowadays, and podcasts, especially video podcasts, offer a level of intimacy with the consumer that surpasses the limitations of broadcast daytime television.  Podcasts were originally thought principally to be a threat of talk radio.  Today and in the future, podcasts are a threat to roundtable television programs.
• Music streaming platforms will stagnate
  • When everyone and their mom has a Spotify or Apple Music account, what is the growth strategy for music streaming platforms? How do you make more money on a product as ubiquitous as music streaming?  Wall Street requires constant innovation and profit growth, and year-on-year stagnation of profits will not fly.  Expect a mild consumer backlash to music streaming and some worrying reports on flagging user growth for these platforms.
• Wherever Sports goes, the entire media industry will follow
  • The carrier disputes between Disney/ESPN and Charter Communications and Dish TV, essentially hastened cord-cutting. Being able to watch SEC football games outstripped any loyalty to cable carriers.  They switched to streaming alternatives like YouTubeTV…and stayed there.  Millions made the switch and fundamentally altered the trajectory of the broadcast industry.
  • Pat McAfee, a viral YouTube personality, effectively disrupted the nature of daytime sports programming, with his bespoke fusion of bonhomie, betting tips, irreverent banter, insider takes, and sophomoric charm. He is an influencer that cracked the mainstream and changed expectations for what sports programming looks and sounds like (YouTube, basically).
  • NIL’s implications will be more keenly felt in 2025, with College football stars climbing out of their Lamborghinis in Armani suits and Gucci shades with paparazzi in their face at the stadium on game day. The production, presentation, and audience reach will gradually resemble that of the professional leagues.
• Artificial Intelligence
  • Expect one thing about AI to really heat up in 2025: More think-pieces on AI.

We at Crowd React Media would like to thank all who downloaded our whitepaper reports and regularly read our weekly roundup.  We hope to hear from you in 2025!

Best,

Sean Bos

Co-founder at Crowd React Media

Vice President of Research at Harker Bos Group

The post 2025 Media Predictions appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Listen to the full podcast here.

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