Results of the third GfK radio ratings survey of 2026 have landed, revealing a fiercely contested market, with established leaders holding their ground as challengers gained momentum across several major cities.
The survey period was Sunday, March 1st to Saturday, April 4th, and Sunday, April 19th to Saturday, May 23rd.
Smoothfm 95.3 is Sydney’s most listened-to station… again. It held its position at the top despite a tiny dip, meaning roughly 1 in 8 Sydneysiders tuned in at any given time during the survey period. 2GB is still second, but it lost ground this survey; it’s first under new owners TAPT Media, dropping from 13.3% to 11.8%. The biggest winner was Gold 101.7, which jumped 1.4 points to 9% – its best result. It was another strong survey for Triple M, with the share climbing to 6.4%. The toughest result belonged to KIIS 1065, which dropped 1.3 points to 7.4% and lost over 120,000 listeners compared to last time.
In Breakfast, 2GB’s Breakfast show, hosted by Ben Fordham, is still number one in Sydney mornings, but it fell from 16.8% to 15.6%, a notable slip. Smoothfm came in second and actually grew, rising to 11.4%. The biggest Breakfast loser was KIIS 1065, with the loss of Kyle and Jackie O now beginning to show – the time slot plummeting 3.5 points to 8.2%. Gold 101.7’s Breakfast was the morning’s biggest improver, up 1.7 points to 7.2%, and likely one that will provide new host Christian O’Connell a moment to exhale.
Melbourne’s long-running ratings leader, talk station 3AW, held its position as the city’s most-listened-to radio station in Survey 3, 2026, attracting 14 out of every 100 listeners tuning in at any given time. The biggest winner was SEN 1116am, which jumped 1.7 points to 4.8 – its strongest result in some time. Smoothfm 91.5 and Triple M also gained ground, while Gold 104.3 had the toughest survey, shedding 1.5 points to 11.5 despite remaining in second place overall.
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In Breakfast, 3AW extended its already commanding lead, with nearly one in five Melbourne listeners tuned in at 19.1. SEN recorded the biggest breakfast improvement of any station, rising 1.8 points to 6.0, while smoothfm also climbed 0.8 points to 7.3. Nova 100 had the sharpest fall in the slot, dropping 0.9 points to 9.4, with Gold 104.3 also slipping 0.5 points to 10.0.
104.5 Triple M retained top spot in Brisbane with 13.0 (down 0.3 points), but the chase pack is closing. Nova 106.9 posted the survey’s biggest gain – up 1.8 points to 10.4 with cume jumping 60,000 to 648,000 – while B105 climbed 1.3 points to 11.7, adding 41,000 listeners. KIIS 973 had the sharpest commercial fall, shedding 1.4 points to 9.7.
In Breakfast, B105 was the standout, surging 1.6 points to 13.4 and closing in on Triple M’s 13.0. Nova’s Breakfast also impressed, up 2.3 points to 12.6. KIIS dropped 1.1 points to 11.0, while Triple M eased back 1.0 point. With both B105 and Nova accelerating.
Triple M Adelaide was the market’s clear winner, jumping 1.1 points to 13.3 and adding 5,000 listeners to reach a cume of 316,000. KIIS 1023 was the survey’s strongest commercial mover, up 1.0 point to 11.2 with cume climbing 12,000 to 278,000. FIVEaa also had a good survey, gaining 1.2 points to 8.2. Nova 91.9 slipped 0.3 points to 11.1 despite adding 11,000 to its cume, while ABC Adelaide fell 1.0 point to 7.1 and SAFM went flat at 10.0, shedding 15,000 cume listeners.
In Breakfast, FIVEaa was the standout gainer, up 0.5 points to 11.3, while KIIS 1023 climbed 1.5 points to 10.5 – its strongest Breakfast result in recent surveys. Nova added 1.2 points to 11.4. Triple M’s Breakfast eased 1.0 point to 12.9 but remained the session leader. SAFM slipped 0.5 points to 9.7, and ABC Adelaide dipped 0.7 points to 10.9.
Nova 93.7 held its lead in Perth, while Mix 94.5 delivered the market’s biggest lift in GfK Survey 3.
From Mediaweek