360 days of Radio 360

It’s now been 360 days since Radio 360 revolutionised radio audience measurement in Australia, and to mark the milestone, Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) is releasing new insights made possible by the system.

Radio 360 was developed by GfK in response to the rapid evolution of audio consumption and to provide a holistic picture of listeners for agencies and advertisers.

“Radio 360 was the first hybrid audience measurement system in the world when we launched it 360 days ago,” says CRA’s Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dick.

“Now, through the combination of surveys, log files, and the MediaWatch wearable technology, advertisers have a more complete picture of listeners – who they are, when they are listening, and if it’s via broadcast or streaming.”

Ciaran Davis, Chair of Commercial Radio & Audio and CEO of ARN Media, says “We know that if brands invest just 11% of their campaign budgets in radio they can double their effectiveness – and Radio 360 now gives media planners the insights they need to have that impact.”

Sophie Madden, Media Federation of Australia CEO, says the introduction of Radio 360 has been quick and smooth.

“It provides a more holistic view of the volume of digital listening and therefore helps agencies make more informed decisions in spending marketing dollars.”

GfK Media Measurement Director Deb Hishon says the MediaWatch technology offers new insights into audience habits, outside of the traditional survey periods: “We used MediaWatch data to measure summer listening and found that 91.1% of daily listeners continued to listen between 3 December 2023 and 28 January 2023, but at a slightly later time of day.”

Most recently, the continuous monitoring of MediaWatch data showed a 40% spike in radio listeners during the tragic Bondi Westfield attack on 13 April, demonstrating how radio is a critical source of information for the community during significant events.