CRA has released Australia’s GfK Radio Survey 4, showing that the country’s commercial radio sector is vibrant, with Australians spending 54 minutes more time listening each week than in 2022.
The latest survey covers the period between Apr. 16 and June 24, 2023, for the five metro markets — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The average person aged 10+ listened for 13 hours and 25 minutes per week, with younger people tuning in for longer and weekend listening also increasing. Nearly 88% of people aged 10-24 listen to commercial radio each week, for an average of 10 hours and 15 minutes — an increase of 1 hour and 39 minutes compared to a year ago.
Ford Ennals, CEO of industry body Commercial Radio & Audio, said the results greatly confirmed radio’s continuing value to the community. “Commercial radio is preparing to celebrate 100 years on air in Australia this year, and we want to thank our listeners for their loyalty and for tuning in every day. Radio was the original live social medium, inspiring talk and connection, and these results demonstrate its timeless appeal across all age groups. Breakfast continues to be the powerhouse, but it’s great to see audiences reaching all-time highs for afternoons as well as for listening at work.”
Overall, Survey 4 showed commercial radio reached 82% or 12.21 million people each week across the five major metro markets, with 220,000 more people tuning in this year than last.
Breakfast attracted nearly 8.62 million listeners, a growth of 4.9% year on year, and afternoon audiences reached a record high of 7.98 million people, while those who listened at work also reached a record high of 2.56 million, with a big jump of 466,000 new listeners compared to Survey 4, 2022.
The number of listeners streaming commercial radio each week grew to 3.29 million, up 122,000 since the last survey. This is the second survey to include streaming data since the launch of the new GfK Radio 360 hybrid survey system for Survey 3, 2023. Nearly 27% of commercial radio listeners streamed radio weekly in the current survey period for four hours on average. Most time spent streaming takes place at home.
Australia’s commercial radio industry will celebrate 100 years of radio at the Australian Commercial Radio & Audio Awards in Sydney on Oct. 14.