The wait is over, the results of Metro Radio Survey 1 for 2018 are here! This year’s first set of statistics yield interesting results as always. Both Nova and Macquarie Networks have cause for celebration after some strong results: Nova is the #1 metro network for people 10+ and Macquarie Media’s ‘News Talk’ stations 2GB and 3AW are again ranked number one in Sydney and Melbourne. The following summary takes a look at the key takeaways we can observe from Metro Radio Survey 1.
Here in Sydney, 2GB retains their lead with an 11.8 share with a 0.5 gain from the last survey. WSFM came in second at 9.0 despite dropping 0.7 from the previous survey. Smooth FM came in third at 8.5 while KIIS1065 came in fourth at 8.1, dropping 1.8 since the previous survey. Separating the results by age demographics, we find that KIIS1065 leads among people 10-39, WSFM leads in the 40-54 group, while 2GB dominates among seniors 55+.
As usual, we examine the breakfast and drive segments. In the breakfast segment, the top three places remain the same from the previous survey–2GB followed by KIIS1065 and then WSFM. Turning to the drive segment, NOVA96.9 takes the lead with Kate, Tim and Marty, WSFM goes from fourth to second place, KIIS1065 drops from first to third, and 2GB drops from third to fourth place.
Going south to Melbourne, 3AW kept their lead at 13.2 but they did experience a 1.8 drop from the last survey. Part of the drop can be explained by an 11.1 plunge among people 65 and older. 101.9 FOX FM rose from third to second place with a 10.8 rating, gaining 2.4 points from the last survey. Part of their rise was caused by a big 10.8 jump among people 18-24. Smooth FM gained a 2.5 market share to move into third place while GOLD104.3 dropped from second to fourth place.
The ratings sweep of the 3AW breakfast segment with Ross Stevenson and John Burns rolls on unabated with an incredible 130th consecutive position at the top of the charts and always with a wide margin. However, they did drop 1.1 from the previous survey. Second place in the breakfast segments is held by 101.9 FOX FM. In the drive segment, 101.9 FOX FM again leads the way followed by 3AW and then Smooth FM, who led both NOVA 100 and 105.1 TRIPLE M by the scant margin of 0.1.
Heading west to Perth, MIX 94.5 retains its lead with a 15.7 share. NOVA 93.7 remains in second place at 12.8. However, HIT 92.9 and 96FM changed places with HIT 92.9 now in third place and 96FM dropping to fourth place. What is notable is that NOVA 93.7 lost a market share of 5.1 in the 10-17 age group and 5.6 in the 18-24 group. In the breakfast segment, MIX 94.5 and NOVA 93.7 traded places from the previous survey. MIX 94.5 now leads NOVA 93.7 by a small margin of 15.1 to 14.8. In the drive segment, NOVA 93.7 now leads MIX 94.5 by just a 0.1 market share.
Moving to Adelaide, MIX 102.3 leads FIVEaa, who moved from third to second place. 5MMM also improved their position from fifth to third place while NOVA91.9 dropped from second to fourth place. HIT 107 moved into fifth place while CRUISE1323 dropped out of the top five. In the breakfast segment, MIX 102.3 took over first place with FIVEaa dropping to second. In the drive segment, MIX 102.3 took over first place from NOVA 91.9 who dropped to second place with 5MMM coming in third.
Finally to Brisbane where NOVA106.9 again leads although they dropped 0.7 from the last survey. 97.3 FM and HIT 105 exchanged places from the previous survey with 97.3 FM now claiming the second spot. Fourth and fifth places were 104.5 TRIPLE M and 4KQ. In the breakfast slot, HIT 105 has now taken the lead with NOVA 106.9 dropping to second place. However, NOVA 106.9 did retain their lead in the drive segment.
Australia’s 2018 radio market has changed from the final quarter of 2017 which is not surprising. It remains difficult to predict with great accuracy. We thank the hard working people at GFK for their fantastic statistical breakdowns for this always changing medium. We continue to depend on these figures to give us insights into the industry and help our clients run campaigns that drive results. Keep your eye on us for much more commentary in the next year!
