Newest survey highlights 10.3 million Australians rely on in-car radio, amid ongoing campaign for radio prominence
Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the latest GfK Survey 5 results, with commercial radio reaching 12.5 million weekly listeners, up 183,000 year-on-year (YOY), powered by strong growth in the 25-64 demographic which increased by 238,000 listeners to 7.8 million.
Commercial radio streaming reaches 3.4 million Australians weekly, driven by the industry’s continued investment in its cross-platform content distribution strategy to meet the needs of Australians who consume radio across a variety of formats.
The latest survey reports 6.6 million Australians tune in from their place of work, and 2.1 million listen at home. While in-car listening accelerated with 248,000 additional listeners YOY to reach 10.3 million, meaning 8 out of 10 (83%) commercial radio listeners tune in while driving.
"The popularity of in-car listenership demonstrates the importance of the essential news and information services we provide each and every day. This is an extraordinary endorsement coming directly from our listeners," said Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA.
"Australians clearly value radio’s role as a trusted travel companion. This reinforces why radio prominence in vehicles matters. Every Australian deserves instant, one-button access to the local content they love.”
Young emphasised commercial radio's unique market position: "As Australia's only 100% locally owned mass media, we keep 12.5 million listeners connected to their communities. Every advertising dollar stays here, funding local journalism, emergency broadcasting and thousands of Australian jobs. For brands seeking genuine community connection, we deliver engaged audiences at unmatched scale and drive measurable business outcomes for advertisers."
For historical data and the 2025 metro survey schedule, visit: https://cra.au/metro-ratings
Source: GfK 360 Radio Ratings, SMBAP S5 2025, compared to S5 2024, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 12mn -12mn, Cume (000's), unless otherwise stated. Weekly Time Spent Listening (hh). All numbers refer to commercial radio results unless otherwise stated.