New Radio 360 measurement system goes live tomorrow 

The highly anticipated radio audience measurement system, Radio 360, will go live tomorrow with the release of the third GfK metropolitan radio survey of the year.

The introduction of Radio 360 marks the biggest change in how radio ratings are measured in Australia since the 1950s.

Radio 360 measures data from three different sources: 

• Streaming measurement data taken directly from radio station websites, listening apps and server logs
• 50,000 surveys completed over the year by listeners in five major metro markets
• Information from a 2,000-person panel of respondents wearing the GfK MediaWatch, a wearable meter that captures information on radio listening when the wearer is in hearing range of a radio station

GfK Media Measurement Director Deb Hishon said it’s just the beginning for Radio 360.

“We are genuinely excited to bring Radio 360 to market. It’s a credit to the industry that Australia is one of the first countries in the world to introduce hybrid measurement to solve the complex challenge of measuring listening across so many places and platforms,” Hishon said.

“This is just the start and we now have a foundation for future development and integration.”

The full potential of radio 360 will be unravelled over a number of phases.

Phase one of the Radio 360 implementation will deliver broadcast and streaming audience figures for each radio station across the five major metro markets. 

Then, commencing in 2024, phase two will integrate podcast metrics as well as release special reports based on real-time monitoring. 

Ciaran Davis, chair of Commercial Radio & Audio and CEO of ARN Media, said the new system was the result of significant collaboration across the industry and ratings provider GfK.

“With one in four Australians now streaming live radio on a weekly basis, we are at the start of a broad, positive shift to digital listening,” Davis said.

“We are proud we now have a measurement system that allows us to demonstrate the reach and influence of radio on all platforms, supports our ambitions to become a much bigger player in the digital audio advertising space and is built to meet future needs.”

Radio 360’s insights will provide information that allows more nuanced access to demographics that will give advertisers further investment confidence.

SCA CEO Grant Blackley said, “Radio360 enhances the move to observe and record actual behaviour of listeners while demonstrating the magnitude of our streaming audiences, coupled with the powerful mobility of radio. Radio 360 will also unlock deeper and more valuable insights through known audiences at scale.” 

Nine Radio Managing Director Tom Malone said, “The launch of Radio 360 is a significant development as it provides us with the tools to connect advertisers with clearly defined audience segments. We can now start to analyse the different behaviours of broadcast and streaming listeners.”

For more information, visit the CRA website here.