After first being announced by CRA in October last year, Radio360 – a new hybrid audience measurement system for the GfK metropolitan radio surveys – is set to officially launch its first phase in market on Tuesday, June 6th, 2023. This date coincides with the release of Radio Ratings Survey Three.
The first phase of the Radio360 rollout will see streaming added to broadcast audience figures for each radio station across the five major metro markets. The second phase is scheduled for 2024, and will introduce podcast metrics, as well as special reports from data collected by GfK MediaWatches.
What is Radio360, and what will it look like?
Radio360 is an updated audience measurement system designed after a five year long research project that GfK created for CRA. The modernisation of the measurement system is designed to better capture radio’s growing audiences who increasingly listen across multiple devices. Radio streaming has surged over the past two years with more listeners tuning in via smartphone apps, websites and smart speakers
The system uses data taken from surveys (online and face-to-face), online web players, audio apps, and GfK MediaWatches to provide a comprehensive view of who is listening to radio and when.
On top of the web players and apps, the data is taken from a representative sample of 50,000 people having taken a survey, and 2,000 people wearing the GfK MediaWatch.
On June 6th, the new data will contain all the data it has historically collected – Share%, Average Audience, Cumulative Audience and DAB+ results – but will also include the streaming audience data for each AM and FM radio station listed in the survey.
The streaming results will also include streaming audiences for three aggregated DAB+ station groups; total DAB+ stations, commercial DAB+ stations and ABC DAB+ stations.
Why change the current ratings system?
According to CRA and GfK, there are a number of benefits to moving to the new Radio360 system.
• Whereas radio has mostly been listened to in the home, car, and via a portable AM/FM radio for years, today live streaming on internet capable devices and DAB+ radio are increasingly popular methods of listening. Radio360 means that audience data is drawn from multiple sources to create a more accurate picture of how people listen.
• Radio360 will mean that for the first time, people will be able to see audiences divided into AM/FM/DAB+ listeners and live streaming listeners. The addition of streaming audiences will also highlight the differences in demographic, sociographic, and buyergraphic traits between people who stream v people listening via traditional broadcast, impacting the way advertisers target audiences.
• The new system is designed to last. The idea is that Radio 360 will provide enough data in such a way that there won’t need to be another ratings overhaul for a very long time.
• As the data from the GfK MediaWatches come into play, data will become available for more specific periods of time. As well as the rolling weekly average survey schedule that ratings are currently based off, Radio360 will mean that people’s listening habits can be seen during things like catastrophic weather events, sporting events, or off-survey Summer periods.
What is a GfK MediaWatch?
GfK MediaWatches are exactly what they sound like – they’re watches that 400 people in each of the five major metro markets wear on their wrists while they’re awake. What makes these watches special is the fact that they capture ambient sound as people go about their day, and a sound-matching algorithm works to match up what a person is listening to with audio from all the participating radio stations in each market. At the end of the day, the participant puts the watch on to a dock to charge, and the listening data is sent through to GfK.
For now, CRA and GfK say that they will not be moving to collect ratings exclusively via the watches due to two major reasons: the watches don’t pick up listening via headphones, and any user error (such as not putting the watch on every day or putting it on the dock overnight) would result in an incomplete data set.
Whilst the GfK MediaWatches are a significant part of the Radio360 launch, their full effect will be released in phase two.
What will this information mean for advertisers?
CRA highlights the fact that IAB Australian Audio State of the Nation report showed that 71% of media agencies intend to increase expenditure in streaming audio in 2023.
With streaming data, broadcast data, and eventually podcast listening metrics (in phase two) being broken down into different demographics, advertisers will be able to more accurately target specific audiences, and will provide networks with the option to more accurately sell different audience profiles to suit the needs of whichever client they may be working with.
A full breakdown of Radio360 from CRA can be found here.
Industry responses to the change
Ciaran Davis, chair of industry body Commercial Radio & Audio and CEO of ARN Media, said the new system was the result of significant investment and strong collaboration across the entire industry and ratings provider GfK.
“With one in four Australians now streaming live radio on a weekly basis, we are at the start of a broad, positive shift to digital listening.
“We are proud we now have a measurement system that allows us to demonstrate the reach and influence of radio on all platforms, supports our ambitions to become a much bigger player in the digital audio advertising space and is built to meet future needs.”
CRA CEO Ford Ennals said: “The industry recognises the need to better deliver the granular measurement and deep customer insights that brands and media agencies are hungry for.
“We hope Radio360 will encourage advertisers to allocate more of their digital and audio spend to Australian radio. We have independently verified measurement – something many of the big tech players still don’t offer – and radio delivers both scale and targeted audiences.”
Deb Hishon, GfK Media measurement director, said: “We are genuinely excited to bring Radio 360 to market. It’s a credit to the industry that Australia is one of the first countries in the world to introduce hybrid measurement to solve the complex challenge of measuring listening across so many places and platforms. This is just the start and we now have a foundation for future development and integration.”
SCA CEO Grant Blackley said: “Radio360 enhances the move to observe and record actual behaviour of listeners while demonstrating the magnitude of our streaming audiences, coupled with the powerful mobility of radio. Radio 360 will also unlock deeper and more valuable insights through known audiences at scale.”
Nine Radio managing director Tom Malone said: “The launch of Radio 360 is a significant development as it provides us with the tools to connect advertisers with clearly defined audience segments. We can now start to analyse the different behaviours of broadcast and streaming listeners.”
NOVA Entertainment CEO Peter Charlton said: “With audio audiences in rude health across the board, having a robust, validated view on all listening will give our advertising partners even more confidence to invest in our medium. We’re seeing exponential growth in connected listening, so this is just the start of how we bring the full picture of listening onto one platform for agencies and clients alike.”