Record Year for Commercial Radio Listening

Commercial radio enjoyed a strong year in 2015, with a record 10.3 million Australians tuning in each week in the cap city markets, up from 10.1 million in 2014 and 9.7 million in 2013.

The commercial radio listening summary, released by Commercial Radio Australia, shows audiences increased by 1.8% last year and are up by 6.2% over the past two years.

Chief executive officer of CRA, Joan Warner, said radio was continuing to appeal to all age groups, and its ability to reach a mass audience had underpinned the positive advertising revenue trend last year.    

“2015 was a very good year for commercial radio, with listener numbers rising to record levels and a healthy increase in audiences for both the critical breakfast and drive time shifts,”she said.

“Radio is also continuing to stay relevant to younger audiences, with 30,000 more listeners in the 18-24 age group turning in, which points to a positive outlook for the future.”

The results are based on an average of the eight GfK radio ratings surveys conducted in the five capital city markets in 2015, compared with the previous year. 

Throughout 2015, 7.4 million people listened to commercial radio during breakfast each week (Mon-Fri) and 6.9 million people listened during drive time (Mon-Fri), up from 7.3 million and 6.8 million respectively in 2014.

Commercial radio reached 79% of all people aged 10+ each week, 87% of those aged 10-17 and 78% of those aged 18-24.

Home was again the main place of listening, accounting for just over 46% of all commercial radio listening, followed by in the car (33%), at work (18%) and elsewhere (2%).

Joan Warner said while commercial radio stations had enjoyed success in podcasting, streaming and social media platforms, broadcasting would continue to remain key to appealing to mass audiences.

“People are listening to radio via multiple platforms, but traditional broadcast radio is still the preeminent means of consuming radio and is deeply embedded in people’s lives throughout their day,”she said.  

Figures show digital radio is continuing to gain traction, with 3.17 million people listening to DAB+ broadcasts each week.