Advertising on Las Vegas television and cable is becoming less attractive to local business owners as viewers rapidly defect to alternative video entertainment sources including, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon and Disney+.

Collectively these streaming services are referred to as Over-The-Top Television (OTT) and Connected-TV (CTV). Viewers can only access this OTT and CTV content via smartphone, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Fire Sticks, and Roku Sticks, Nielsen reports that 92.7% of Clark County adults own at least one these devices. Furthermore, they are using them.

According to Nielsen, OTT and CTV networks now reach 44.8% of all Las Vegas consumers every week.

New data from the US Census Bureau has optimistic news for Clark County companies that sell business-to-business.

There are approximately 44,500 business establishments in the Las Vegas area, according to the Census Bureau. Indeed, many of these businesses have suffered since the onset of the Coronavirus, especially in April.

Census information is now showing positive indicators that the fortunes of area companies are improving. This includes those with 500 or fewer employees. These small businesses account for 95% of all Las Vegas area firms.

During the week of April 39% of Las Vegas area small businesses reported temporary closures.  By July 1, the number dropped to 19%

Also, during that same week, 72% of Las Vegas small business owners were reporting decreases in revenue versus the prior week.  By the end of last week that number fell by over half.

In both June and July of this year, national data shows all retail and food services spending significantly outperformed the prior year by between two and three percent.

As the business climate improves in the Las Vegas area, the fortunes of B2B companies will accelerate as well. These include those businesses that sell office supplies, restaurant supplies, cleaning services, legal services, accounting services, transportation services, banking services, technology, and commercial real estate.

Before COVID-19, most listening to Las Vegas radio happened outside the home. Consumers were tuning-in to their favorite stations from the car on the way to their job. Then, they tuned-in when they arrived at work. They listened again during the commute back home.

Nielsen recently surveyed consumers who worked from home before and during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The results show, as of June, 66% of respondents now work from home full-time as a consequence of the pandemic.

Among homebound employees, Nielsen discovered that listening to music on radio remains an important part of their working hours. This is good news for Clark County small business owners who advertise on Las Vegas radio

Las Vegas radio reaches more area adults every week than any other medium. During a typical seven-day period, according to Nielsen, 1.5 million local consumers tune-in to their favorite AM and FM stations. This is significantly more than those who watch broadcast television, subscribe to pay-TV, browse social media, read a newspaper, or stream music from Pandora and Spotify.

Radio's omnipresence in the life of Clark County consumers is remarkable considering today is the medium's 100th birthday.

There is good news for Las Vegas retailers and restaurants.

As a result of the pandemic, one-third of consumers indicate they will pay a premium for local brands and products, according to a recent study by Ernst & Young

However, before consumers will buy from a local business in Henderson, North Las Vegas, Summerlin, or any town in-between, they must know they can do so without risking their health.

Advertising is the only practical way to let Clark County shoppers and diners know about the precautions and practices your small business has taken to reduce potential health threats.

Las Vegas shoppers are expected to spend $5 billion this holiday season.  This will be approximately 4% higher than last year. These estimates are based on forecasts by the National Retail Federation and Deloitte.

To claim a fair share of the Christmas cash, local small business owners will need to battle some giant competitors. Advertising on Las Vegas radio stations may be the perfect weapon to ensure success.

According to information published in the retail trade magazine Chain Store Age, as of right now, here is where consumers are planning to shop...

Las Vegas consumers are expected to spend $5 billion on this year's holiday shopping, based on predictions by the National Retail Federation.  This would be a 4% increase over last year.

Deloitte, one of the world's top four accounting firms, forecasts similar growth.

"The projected holiday season growth is, in part, due to the current health of the labor market,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte's U.S. economic forecaster. “Near record-low unemployment rates, coupled with continued monthly job creation, may encourage people to spend more during the holiday season. The economy is still growing, albeit at a slower rate. Additionally, we continue to see consumer confidence elevated, which also helps boost holiday spending."

For most Clark County retailers, holiday spending brings in about 20% of annual sales But, long gone are the days when the bulk of this shopping occurred between Black Friday and Christmas.

Some Clark County small business owners believe that local consumers have ditched their favorite Las Vegas radio stations in favor of music beamed to their cars from space. Is this true? 

The short answer is no. Here are the facts.

There are 1.6 registered vehicles in the Las Vegas area.  Nearly 44% of these cars and trucks are equipped to receive satellite radio from Sirius/XM. To use the service, however, drivers must pay between $10.99 and $20.99 per month.

According to Nielsen,  though, satellite radio has had no effect on the number of people who tune-in to Las Vegas radio stations each week.  For that matter, neither has Pandora, a streaming audio service that is also owned by Sirius/XM.

Last week, for instance, nearly 90% of all adult consumers tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station. Only 17.2%, however, listened to Sirius/XM, which is the only remaining satellite service. 

Last week, according to Nielsen, 365,811 single, adult women tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station.  This is 89% of every consumer who fits this description.

Why should Clark County small business owners take note of this demographic? A study by investment bank Morgan Stanley finds 41% of working-age women are single. That number is expected to increase to 45% over the next ten years.

The study, called 'Growth of the SHEconomy', indicates that single women outspend the average household in many retail categories. Remarkably, says, Erica Sweeney of MarketingDive, "Women purchase more than half of products traditionally considered 'male' including autos, home improvement products, and consumer electronics."

Is advertising on the radio just a day job for Las Vegas small business owners?  

Thousands of local companies depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services. But, many of these business owners choose to buy commercials only between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm.  Is this a good idea? Maybe not.  Here are the facts.

Last week, for instance, 1,502,898 adult consumers tuned-in to their favorite Las Vegas radio stations. This is significantly higher than the number that tuned-in to a local TV station, read a local newspaper, logged-on to social media sites like Facebook, or streamed audio from Pandora and Spotify.