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Kyle & Jackie O,
Sydney's FM crown they hold,
Melbourne's hearts they stole.
Kyle & Jackie O fail to gain momentum in Melbourne in fifth radio ratings survey of the year
The fifth GfK radio ratings survey of the year has marked another disappointing finish for Kyle and Jackie O in Melbourne, landing in eighth position in the second book since the KIIS breakfast show launched in the market in April.
The program lifted 0.2 points for a 6.1 per cent share of the breakfast timeslot, with Nine's on 3AW comfortably in the lead at 21.3 per cent share - more than double that of it's nearest competitor in Nova's Jase and Lauren, with 9.9 per cent share. It marked the duo's first FM win in the time slot, as ARN's Christian O'Connell on GOLD slipped 2.5 points to 8.3 per cent, for a fourth place finish behind SCA's Fifi, Fev and Nick on The FOX, with 9.6 per cent share.
Melbourne drive was more closely contested, though Carrie and Tommy on The Fox held their lead with a 11.1 per cent share ahead of Dave 'Higgo' Higgins on GOLD with 10.5 points. Nine's 3AW was the ultimate winner of the Melbourne market, taking 14.7 per cent of overall share, ahead of the 10.3% held by ARN's GOLD.
Despite it's Melbourne blip, Kylie and Jackie O fared well in Sydney, achieving its 45th consecutive survey as the market's leading FM station. A share of 14.3 per cent for ARN's golden duo made for a second place finish overall in the time slot, closing the gap with Sydney breakfast favourite Ben Fordham on Nine's 2GB, which dropped 1.4 points for a 15.6 per cent share.
"Kyle & Jackie O continue to prove why they're recognised as one of the best breakfast shows in the world, attracting over 1.24 million listeners each week, achieving their 45th consecutive survey at #1 in Sydney and showing promising growth in Melbourne. Their rise in share in Melbourne is what we anticipated and reflects what we are seeing in our internal tracking. As we've said before, building momentum in new markets requires time, and we remain confident in our long-term growth strategy," said ARN Chief Content Officer, Duncan Campbell.
KIIS also maintained its dominance in Sydney drive, with an 11.1 per cent share for Will & Woody versus the 9.3 per cent share held by NOVA's Bryon Webb on Smoothfm. Though, it wasn't enough for an overall sweep, with 2GB the top radio station in the Sydney market on 13.3 per cent share, ahead of KIIS' 10.9 per cent.
Nine Radio’s Head of Content, Greg Byrnes, said: “These results show that in Australia's most competitive radio markets, listeners are locked on to our talk stations for the trusted news, information and insight we deliver each day.”
“At 2GB and 3AW, the Breakfast and Morning programs are again clear number one. In Sydney and Melbourne we've dominated the ratings all year and that's been reinforced even further today.
“The Paris Olympics coverage played a part in this survey, and we are extremely proud of how our radio team delivered. It's great to see our loyal listeners tuned in to us for the duration of what was an historic Games for Australia.”
Elsewhere, SCA's B105 remained the top station in the Brisbane market, with the station's Stav, Abbey and Matt leading the breakfast slot with a 15 per cent share. ABC Brisbane came out on top in drive despite 1.5 point dip, with Triple M trailing by only 0.1 points.
B105 Brisbane Content Director, Jack Ball, said: “Securing the top spot is a testament to the passion and effort of the entire B105 team and something we don’t take for granted. Each survey is a challenge, and we’re thrilled to see our connection with our Brisbane listeners continue to grow and strengthen. This year, B105 has been nominated for the Best Radio Station at the 2024 ACRA Awards, making it the first Brisbane station in Australian Commercial Radio history to be nominated for this national award. We’re motivated every morning to not only create the best content in Brisbane radio, but for all Australian radio too.”
Meanwhile, SCA's Triple dominated in the Adelaide market as the top station, breakfast and drive show, and Nova had the top station and breakfast program in Perth.
Head of Triple M Metro Content, Matthew OReilly, said: “The entire 104.7 Triple M team is celebrating another Triple M ‘triple win’ in today’s survey results. Once again, the Roo, Ditts & Loz show are Adelaide’s number 1 Breakfast show, while the station is Adelaide’s number one station and, for a second time in a row, The Rush Hour with Bernie, Blewey & Jars is number one in the Drive slot.”
Overall, Commercial Radio Australia reported commercial radio's share at at 74.6% - it's highest point since 2014. According to the latest GfK Survey 5, 2024, commercial radio now reaches 12.3 million weekly listeners, who spend an average of 12 hours and 51 minutes with their favourite stations.
CRA’s Chief Executive Officer, Lizzie Young, commented on the results, "Radio’s capacity to seamlessly connect with listeners anytime and anywhere – is unmatched. Our commitment to delivering compelling, reliable content ensures Australians always have access to the programs they love, right at their fingertips."
Streaming commercial radio reached 3.4 million Australians for an average of 4 hours and 16 minutes, with 69.1% of these listeners tuning in from home, 28.1% in the car, and 26.9% at work. Commercial DAB+ only radio stations are attracting an audience of over 2.6 million, with TSL increasing by 18 minutes to 6 hours and 26 minutes.