Commercial Radio Australia releases ad revenue figures for May 2022

Commercial radio ad revenue in May was up 11.2% compared to May 2021, continuing months of sustained growth in the sector, according to data released by industry body Commercial Radio Australia.

Ad revenue for the five major Australian capital city markets totalled $66.273 million during the month compared to $59.605 million a year ago.

Ford Ennals, the chief executive officer of CRA, said May was a solid month for radio ad revenues due to an increased spend in the retail and telecommunications categories, along with the positive impact of election related advertising.

“Commercial radio is currently flying on all fronts with record audience listening levels in the most recent GFK survey and now an 11.2% year on year increase in commercial revenue for May.  This shows that as business categories are rebuilding their advertising spends they are increasingly choosing commercial radio for the simple reason that it is both effective and affordable.

“In May there was a strong contribution from election-related spend but we also saw soaring radio spends from the important retail and telcoms sectors. Of course commercial radio spending would have been even higher if it wasn’t for the unfair and unreasonable election blackout imposed on both radio and TV which should be reviewed and changed,” he said.

Perth stations reported a 14.9% year on year increase in ad revenue to $8.582 million in the month of May compared to last year. Sydney stations also recorded strong growth with a 12.3% increase to $19.857 million. Brisbane was up 11.8% to $10.022 million, and Melbourne saw a 9.8% rise to $21.983 million. Adelaide stations increased 6.8% to $5.829 million.

The figures include agency and direct ad revenue and were compiled by media data analytics company Milton Data.

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