Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the GfK Survey 2, 2026 results, with commercial radio reaching a record 12.8 million listeners weekly. For nearly four years commercial radio has sustained audiences exceeding 12 million demonstrating its resilience and stability for brands.1
Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA, said: "A record audience last survey, topped again this survey. When a medium delivers at this scale, this consistently, it tells you that Australians rely on local, live commercial radio - and brands can too.
“As Australia's only 100% locally owned and operated media channel, every advertising dollar supports local journalism, emergency broadcasting and thousands of Australian jobs. That combination of resilient scale and trusted community connection is what makes commercial radio unique.”
The shift to an audio everywhere approach has transformed how audiences consume content anytime, anywhere - with listeners moving seamlessly between AM, FM, DAB+, and streaming. Investment in platforms like CRA Audio ID and RadioApp are delivering the precision, transparency and scale advertisers require.
Commercial radio’s reach, alongside it’s proven effectiveness, makes the case for brands compelling. For every dollar invested in radio, brands see two dollars back - second only to social, outperforming video, TV, OOH, search and CTV.²
In an economic climate where household budgets and businesses are under pressure, audio’s ability to strengthen and defend pricing at almost double the level of campaigns without audio, earns its place on every media plan.³
For the full 2026 survey dates and historical data, visit: https://cra.au/metro-ratings
Sources: