Xperi has introduced what it’s terming a “game-changing measurement moment” for the broadcast industry, unveiling daily in-car audience reporting derived from 6 million vehicles across 250 markets.

Launched on Nov. 1, the updated version of Xperi’s DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal, is being hailed as the world’s first global, in-car radio audience insights platform. Initially introduced in 2023, the measurement solution is built on the DTS AutoStage platform, which powers over 12 million vehicles globally, and close to nine million on the road in the U.S. It enables broadcasters to track audience shifts next day, with trend reports available by days, weeks, months and quarters, as well as hour-by-hour for selected days. Listening metrics include time spent, share, tuning occasions and cume.

During a presentation hosted by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) on Friday, Juan Galdamez, Senior Director of Broadcast Strategy & Business Development at Xperi, detailed the capabilities of the updated portal, positioning the release as a critical tool for broadcasters to prove their return on investment (ROI) and visualize their audience in real-time, moving beyond traditional monthly or quarterly ratings.

“This is a big deal. Our big data story continues to evolve and it keeps giving advertisers more reasons to invest in radio,” Galdamez told the webinar. “We have over 6 million vehicles actively in the markets that are telling us how they’re consuming broadcast radio.”

Scale of sample

The data is sourced from a fleet of connected vehicles equipped with DTS AutoStage, a hybrid radio platform that combines over-the-air broadcasting with internet connectivity. Participating auto manufacturers currently include Ford, Lincoln, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, BMW, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, and Tesla, with more brands expected to join in 2026.

Galdamez emphasized that the sheer volume of data provides a level of granularity previously unavailable to radio programmers and sales teams.

“We’re looking at, on average in the 250 markets that we’ve released, a multiple of 16 times the sample size across all markets,” Galdamez noted, citing specific examples of the massive sample sizes available in key metros compared to legacy measurement panels. For example in New York, there were 242,000 vehicles as of the end of November, 122,000 in Chicago and 107,000 in Philadelphia.

Defending the dashboard

Galdamez stressed that radio’s visual presentation is vital for the medium’s survival in the modern dashboard. DTS AutoStage uses the vehicle’s internet connection to populate the screen with album art, station logos, and artist information, ensuring radio competes visually with streaming services.

“The experience of technology…inside of connected vehicles is changing rapidly, and it’s imperative that we as an industry, radio, steps up and delivers the best experience possible,” Galdamez said. “I’d argue that this is probably the best-looking AM radio I’ve ever seen inside of a vehicle.”

He reinforced that despite the hype surrounding streaming, the car remains radio’s stronghold. According to Xperi data, 85% of ad-supported audio content consumed in the vehicle is AM/FM radio, with 84% of that being over-the-air broadcast, not digital streams.

Real-time analytics and heat maps

With a 24-hour turnaround time for broadcaster metrics, Galdamez says the data is able to tell a story that until now has gone uncovered.

“For the first time ever, within 24 hours, you can see the impact of broadcast listening consumption,” he explained. “If you’re doing something from a programming perspective, if there’s a major event happening in the market…how is that impacting your listening?”

He pointed to specific trends the data has already revealed, including immediate spikes in listening during the first day of school or the listening shift from Thanksgiving directly into Christmas music.

One of the portal’s more important tools for advertisers is the introduction of “Heat Maps.” Unlike traditional ratings based on a listener’s home zip code, Xperi’s data visualizes exactly where the car is when the listening occurs.

“We are able to show you roughly where listeners are when they are consuming your station from the vehicle,” Galdamez said. “We see a lot of downtown congested areas…waiting areas of airports…and malls.”

He argued that location data is radio’s new currency for local advertisers.

“You can show an advertiser where their business is and show them that we’re seeing data coming directly from the vehicle that shows our listeners are in and around your place of business,” said Galdamez.

He characterized the current release as a “beta,” noting that this is just the “tip of the spear.” Future updates aim to include advertising attribution metrics, allowing stations to show gross impressions for specific ad campaigns, and enhanced day-part granularity.

“We are truly starting to see some really interesting stuff,” Galdamez concluded. “It’s giving advertisers more reasons to invest in radio.”

Xperi says across Canada, there are currently over 300,000 vehicles equipped with DTS AutoStage. While the updated version of the Broadcaster Portal is not yet released north of the border, Canadian stations can access vehicle data through the original version of the portal.

“Several groups across Canada are actively utilizing this data today,” Galdamez told Broadcast Dialogue.