MediaCo Bets Big on Multicultural Audio Amid Breakout Radio Growth

NEW YORK, NY – January 22, 2026 – In an era where digital streaming often dominates the media narrative, MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) has delivered a powerful counterpoint, announcing significant year-end audience growth across its radio portfolio that positions it among America's fastest-growing broadcasters. The surge in listenership, driven by a hyper-local and culturally-focused content strategy, not only validates the enduring power of radio but also sets the stage for the company's ambitious new venture, Sigma Audio Networks, a national platform aimed at capturing the lucrative multicultural advertising market.

The company posted robust year-over-year performance for 2025, showing impressive gains among the coveted Adults 25–54 demographic, especially during weekday prime listening hours. This momentum challenges the perception of traditional radio's decline and highlights a successful formula for engaging modern audiences.

Local Roots, National Impact

MediaCo's remarkable growth is not a broad, uniform lift but a story of targeted success in major metropolitan markets. The company's strategy of creating content that resonates deeply with local, diverse communities has yielded tangible results. In New York City, listening surged with an 18.3% increase in Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) persons and a 9.9% jump in market share. This was largely fueled by a resurgence at the iconic hip-hop station HOT 97 and steady performance from its sister station, the urban adult contemporary WBLS.

HOT 97's performance was particularly striking among younger listeners, with a staggering 40.6% AQH increase and a 30.6% share increase among Adults 18–49. These figures represent a historic high for the station, elevating it from the ninth to the fourth most-listened-to station in the competitive New York market.

The trend continued across the country. In Los Angeles, the company saw a 25.0% AQH lift and a massive 38.2% increase in Cume, the total number of unique listeners, driven by the rising popularity of its Regional Mexican station, Que Buena LA. Dallas also posted exceptional numbers, with a 31.1% AQH gain powered by growth at its Spanish-language stations KNOR and KBOC.

"These results validate what advertisers are seeing firsthand: our brands are growing, our audiences are deeply engaged, and our connection to culture is translating directly into scale and impact," said Danny Lowry, SVP of Audio Sales at MediaCo, in the company's announcement. The success underscores a key industry insight: in a globalized media world, local and cultural relevance is a powerful differentiator.

The $7 Trillion Opportunity

MediaCo's audience gains are strategically aligned with one of the most significant demographic and economic shifts in the United States. The company's focus on multicultural audiences—primarily Hispanic, Black, and bicultural listeners—is a direct tap into a consumer base with immense and growing economic power. This segment currently represents 40% of the U.S. population and boasts a collective buying power estimated at $5.6 trillion, a figure projected to soar to $7 trillion by 2025.

For years, leading brands and marketers have recognized this trend, with multicultural marketing increasingly being viewed not as a niche tactic but as a core component of any serious growth strategy. However, a persistent "scale myth" has led to chronic underinvestment. Reports indicate that most brands allocate a mere 5% of their marketing budgets to these vital consumer groups, leaving a massive opportunity on the table.

This is the landscape MediaCo is primed to capitalize on. Its strong performance in 2025 is more than just a ratings win; it is proof of concept that authentic, culturally attuned programming can build a large, loyal, and highly valuable audience that advertisers are desperate to reach.

Sigma Audio's Bid to Unify a Fragmented Market

Capitalizing on this momentum, MediaCo has officially launched Sigma Audio Networks, its new national multicultural audio platform. Announced in mid-January, Sigma is designed to fundamentally modernize how advertisers connect with America's diverse populations by solving a long-standing industry problem: fragmentation.

Historically, buying ad time to reach multicultural audiences at a national scale has been a complex, inefficient process, requiring agencies to stitch together campaigns across dozens of local stations. Sigma aims to streamline this by offering a single point of contact to access a national multicultural population of 150 million people. The network leverages the strength of MediaCo’s powerhouse brands—including HOT 97, WBLS, Que Buena Los Angeles, and the Don Cheto Radio Network—to provide advertisers with a scalable solution rooted in authenticity.

"This is a pivotal moment for MediaCo," stated Chief Revenue Officer Brian Fisher. "Our audience momentum, combined with our national footprint and growing share, created the perfect foundation to launch Sigma—bringing advertisers a modern, scalable audio solution rooted in culture, authenticity, and measurable impact."

Sigma enters a competitive but expanding arena. It will vie for advertising dollars with established players like Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) and TelevisaUnivision, which have strongholds in the Hispanic market, and Urban One, a leading force in African-American media. The launch signals a broader industry race to build platforms that can effectively serve the next generation of American consumers.

A Changing Advertising Landscape

The launch of Sigma Audio Networks is timed perfectly with a shift in advertiser priorities. As marketing budgets face increasing scrutiny, the demand for clear return on investment (ROI) and measurable performance has never been higher. Audio, and particularly radio, is well-positioned in this environment. Radio maintains the second-highest ROI of all media globally, and its dominance of the in-car listening environment—capturing around 90% of ad-supported audio time—makes it a critical touchpoint for consumers.

Furthermore, advertisers are learning that simple translation is not enough. Studies consistently show that culturally relevant advertising drives significantly higher engagement and purchasing intent. For instance, research shows 78% of Black podcast listeners are more likely to buy products advertised on culturally attuned shows, and over 80% of all multicultural consumers show a stronger affinity for ads that reflect their specific culture.

By offering both national scale and the deep cultural connection of its local brands, MediaCo's Sigma network is presenting a compelling solution. It promises to simplify the media buying process while delivering the authenticity that makes campaigns more effective, directly addressing the core needs of today's performance-focused advertisers. As the industry continues to evolve, MediaCo's bet on the power of culture may not only secure its own future but also provide a new blueprint for growth in American audio.