Australian commercial radio finishes 2024 strongly

Australian commercial radio closed 2024 with strong momentum, achieving a record 75.9% share of the radio market — the highest in more than 20 years, says Commercial Radio & Audio, quoting GfK 360 Radio Ratings. The final survey of the year also showed an annualized record audience of 12.3 million Australians tuning in each week.

Listening habits continued to evolve, with time spent listening at work rising by 80 minutes to 12 hours and 28 minutes per week. At home, listeners spent 18 minutes more per week compared to 2023, bringing total home listening time to 10 hours and 1 minute. Car listening also increased significantly, with 267,000 more Australians tuning in while driving — a 2.7% increase over the previous year.

As we finish the year, the strength of radio’s audiences is clear
CRA CEO Lizzie Young

For younger audiences, commercial radio’s appeal grew as well. Survey 8 results showed that the number of listeners aged 10–17 increased by 21,000 year-on-year, a 1.5 percentage point rise, reaching 1.429 million listeners. Streaming radio maintained its upward trajectory, with 3.412 million Australians accessing commercial radio via digital platforms. Time spent streaming remained stable throughout the day.

Among key demographics, younger listeners aged 18–24 spent nearly four hours per week streaming commercial radio, while 25–39-year-olds streamed for nearly three hours per week. Listening among 40–54-year-olds rose, with this group streaming for nearly five hours weekly.

“As we finish the year, the strength of radio’s audiences is clear,” said CRA CEO Lizzie Young. “This has been a year where we’ve seen Australians start moving back into the office, but regardless of where they are — at home, in the car or the office — commercial radio is there, and they are listening in record numbers.”