CRA reports 19.3% boost in ad revenue for July
Commercial Radio Australia has reported a 19.3% increase in advertising revenue for the month of July, rising to $48.571 million despite ongoing lockdowns across multiple markets.
That figure was up from $40.724 million for the same period in 2020, during which most of Australia was out of lockdown, sans Victoria.
The growth in ad spend across commercial radio has steadied significantly since May when revenues jumped 72.6%.
Commercial Radio Australia CEO, Joan Warner, admitted the latest figures show the impact of current lockdowns on radio’s recovery. “The extension of lockdowns has taken some momentum out of the recovery but it’s encouraging to see growth for radio being sustained at a double-digit level,” she said.
Breaking down each market, Melbourne radio stations saw the biggest boost, with revenue up 30% year-on-year to $16.408 million.
The Sydney market grew by 11.3% to $13.874 million, while Brisbane was up 21.6% to $7.654 million. Perth stations had ad revenue growth of 18.4% to $6.296 million and Adelaide increased 8.2% to $4.339 million.
In early July, CRA launched its latest ‘We’re All Ears’ brand campaign, aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises, sending a message about the effectiveness of radio advertising.
The campaign was created with specialist audio agency Eardrum, and highlighted the idea that radio drives consumer action both inside and outside of lockdowns.
CRA revealed recently that the release of the ratings for the fifth metro survey of the year have been delayed to 31 August due to NSW’s ongoing lockdowns.
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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