Approaching the end of the year and the holiday season for 2017, the results of Metro Radio Survey 8 will be evaluated by media companies, marketers, and advertisers for any trends among the different stations. This holds true not only for the major metropolitan areas but also for the rest of Australia. This year’s eighth set of statistics yield some interesting results and as always, reflects changes from the previous survey. The following summary represents the critical results that we can glean from Metro Radio Survey 8 which has just been issued.
Here in Sydney in the FM category, 2GB retains their lead with an 11.3 share despite dropping 0.5 points from the last survey. Trailing 2GB are KIIS1065 at 9.9, WSFM at 9.7, Smooth FM at 8.6, and NOVA96.9 at 7.5. Breaking it down by age demographics, NOVA96.9 leads in both the 10-17 and 18-24 categories, KISS1065 leads in the 25-39 group, WSFM leads in both the 40-54 and 55-64 groups, while 2GB dominates the senior citizens (65+). Let’s take a look at the breakfast and drive segments. In the breakfast time slot, 2GB at 13.3 leads KIIS1065 who comes in at 12.1. Third place is WSFM at 10.0 and has a comfortable lead over 104.9Triple M at 7.9. Turning to the drive slot, it is KIIS who leads at 10.8, NOVA96.9 not far behind with a 10.3 market share, 2GB at third with 9.4, and WSFM fourth at 8.8.
Heading south to Melbourne, once again, things looking excellent for the Macquarie radio network with 3AW keeping their lead at 15.0 although they did experience a 0.5 drop from the previous survey. Their 2.9 drop in the 40-54 age group was just made up for by their 3.0 gain among those 65 and over. Second place was GOLD104.3 at 9.6 but with a 1.5 share drop from the previous survey. Rounding out the top five was 101.9 FOX FM at 8.4, NOVA100 at 8.0, and with a 2.3 share , Smooth FM at 7.8. The ratings sweep of the 3AW Breakfast segment with Ross Stevenson and John Burns continues as they acquired an amazing 129th consecutive position at the top notch and again by a lopsided margin. They even registered a 0.1 share gain from the previous survey. In the drive segment, 101.9 FOX FM led second place 3AW by a small margin, 11.0 to 10.7. NOVA 100 earned third place in this time slot with a 10.5 share.
Moving across the country to Perth, MIX 94.5 led the way with a 14.6 share followed by NOVA 93.7 at 13.7, 96FM at 10.2, and HIT 92.9 at 9.2. Interesting to note is that among young listeners 10-17, NOVA93.7 picked up 6.0 points while HIT 92.9 gained 4.0 points. In the breakfast time slot, NOVA 93.7 lead MIX 94.5 by 1.1 share points while in the drive segment, NOVA 93.7 again led MIX 94.5 by the smaller margin of 0.3 points.
In Adelaide, MIX 102.3 led the way with a 0.3 margin over NOVA 91.9. MIX 102.3 was assisted by good gains in the 18-24 and 55-64 groups. Third was FIVEaa at 11.7, followed by CRUISE1323 at 9.4 and 5MMM at 9.3. Interestingly, CRUISE1323 and 5MMM switched positions on the rankings from the last survey. FIVEaa led in the breakfast segment while NOVA 91.9 led in the drive slot.
Finally to Brisbane, NOVA 106.9 led the pack with a 13.3 share despite a 0.6 drop from the prior survey. It was followed by the tightly bunched group of HIT 105 at 10.6, 97.3 FM at 10.4, 4KQ at 10.2, and 104.5 TRIPLE M at 9.9. 4KQ and 104.5 TRIPLE M switched ranking positions from the prior survey. NOVA 106.9 leads HIT 105 in both the breakfast and drive segments with decent margins.
As you can see, Australia’s 2017 radio market is always changing and is hard 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 manage their budgets during the year. Keep your eye on us for much more commentary in the next year!
Source: GfK Survey 8, 2017
