As we recently reported, Commercial Radio Australia is now releasing GfK radio ratings for DAB+ only stations eight times a year, one week after the traditional metro GfK ratings.
MORE: CRA to release DAB+ radio ratings eight times a year
The commercial leaders in each of the metro markets are as follows:
Sydney: ARN’s Edge Digital is the market leader with a cume audience 10+ of 76,000. Its closest competitor is Nova Entertainment’s Coles Radio with 62,000.
Melbourne: Pacific Star Network’s digital brand Aussie leads the market with 53,000, narrowly ahead of ARN’s 80s iHeart Radio on 51,000.
Brisbane: Coles Radio was #1 with 53,000, well ahead of 90s iHeart Radio on 25,000.
Adelaide: The 90s was the hit station on the platform with 90s iHeart Radio on 23,000, ahead of Buddha on 20,000.
Perth: Smooth was the big hit in the West with 29,000, ahead of Buddha on 27,000.
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) noted this week it is the largest commercial digital radio group in the country with its DAB+ stations reaching 453,000 listeners each week, making up for 28.8% of the total DAB+ listening audience, according to GfK’s DAB+ Survey 1, 2017.
Buddha Radio is again the most-listened-to non-retail aligned commercial digital radio station, with an audience of 144,000 nationally. Oldskool reaches 121,000 people nationally and Easy 113,000.
SCA’s DAB+ owned stations, Buddha, Oldskool and Easy, sit in the top five commercial DAB+ stations listened to most.
SCA’s chief creative officer Guy Dobson said, “It’s fantastic to see SCA’s continued dominance in DAB+. We have great leadership and growth in this sector and some exciting plans ahead for listeners and advertisers.”
Outside of the commercial stations, the ABC performed strongly in the ratings, particularly with Double J, which recorded a five-city weekly reach of 200,000.
ABC digital-only stations Double J, ABC Jazz and triple j Unearthed account for three of the top five most-listened-to stations across the five cities.
ABC Radio’s DAB+ digital radio success was bolstered by ABC Grandstand, ABC Country and ABC Extra in the top 15 stations across the five cities.