Are Advertisers Paying Attention?
Article summary:
New Zealand’s commercial audio audience reached 3.496 million weekly listeners in GfK Survey 1 2026, with growth led by younger audiences.
Younger New Zealanders are listening across radio, streaming and podcasts, giving brands more opportunities to connect through audio advertising.
Combining broadcast radio, digital audio and podcast advertising can help brands extend their reach and strengthen brand recall.
The first GfK Commercial Radio Survey results of 2026 are out, and there’s a stat in there that deserves a closer look.
New Zealand’s weekly commercial radio audience reached 3.496 million listeners, representing 5% growth compared with the final survey of 2025. In commentary accompanying the results, NZME chief executive Michael Boggs highlighted 11% growth among 10–24-year-olds and 10% among the 18–39 age group. (StopPress Team, 2026)
These results are worth considering when reviewing assumptions about younger audiences’ listening habits. For advertisers, the question is how audio can contribute to the wider media mix, based on the audience and campaign objectives.
Audio just got bigger
The Radio Bureau chief executive Alistair Jamison reported that linear radio consistently reaches more than 70% of New Zealand each week, and 43% of those listeners also consume podcasts weekly. (StopPress Team, 2026)
This suggests that listeners are engaging across multiple audio formats, making audience overlap and incremental reach important considerations for planning.
International research provides additional context. EMARKETER’s US-focused article cites GWI data showing that 90% of internet users aged 16–24 listen to digital audio. This is useful context rather than a New Zealand audience estimate. (Flores-Marquez, 2025)
Together, these findings give advertisers a reason to assess audio’s role in reaching younger audiences, alongside the other media those audiences consume.
Audience assumptions are worth reviewing
There can be a mismatch between where audiences spend time and where media buyers believe they are. In the United States, AM/FM radio accounts for 64% of ad-supported audio listening, according to Edison Research data cited by Ad Results Media. The same article reports that marketers and agencies overestimate listening shares for Pandora and Spotify while underestimating AM/FM radio. (Ad Results Media, 2026)
These US findings do not establish that the same perception gap exists in New Zealand. They do, however, provide a useful reminder to check media-planning assumptions against current local audience data.
This impacts how we approach audio campaign planning
Audio is multi-format and multi-platform: live radio, streamed radio, host-read podcast ads, dynamic audio and live reads during broadcast. Each format offers a different listening context. Used together, they may extend reach or reinforce a message, depending on audience overlap, frequency and the creative approach.
Creative execution also deserves attention. Dentsu and Lumen’s 2023 research reported average correct brand recall of 41% for the audio advertising studied, compared with a 38% benchmark across dentsu’s existing research. This points to audio’s potential to support brand recall in the environments tested. It should not be interpreted as evidence that audio universally outperforms video or as a direct measure of sonic branding’s effectiveness. (Lumen Research, 2023)
Sonic identity and music cues are also worth considering within the creative approach. Marketing LTB reports a 17% improvement in overall recall when audio is added to cross-channel campaigns and 32% stronger brand memory for brands using sonic identity or music cues. However, its summary does not identify the underlying studies or methodology, so those figures should be treated cautiously rather than as expected campaign outcomes. (Marketing LTB, n.d.)
For brands trying to reach younger New Zealanders, the GfK results make broadcast radio and digital audio worth evaluating alongside other relevant channels. The appropriate combination will depend on the campaign’s objectives, audience, budget and the contribution each channel can make.
The bottom line
The GfK results provide a useful reason to review audio’s role in New Zealand media plans, including campaigns aimed at younger audiences. The growth figures and accompanying industry commentary offer context, while investment decisions should be guided by the needs of each campaign.
Our view is that the best campaign results come from the optimal media mix. There is no one-size-fits-all solution: the right balance of audio, television, digital and other channels depends on the audience, the objective and the evidence.
References
Ad Results Media. (2026, July 22). Is radio advertising effective? https://www.adresultsmedia.com/news-insights/is-radio-advertising-effective/
Flores-Marquez, P. (2025, April 15). Young listeners’ embrace of Spotify and podcasts drives digital audio consumption. EMARKETER.
https://www.emarketer.com/content/young-listeners--embrace-of-spotify-podcasts-drives-digital-audio-consumption
Lumen Research. (2023, August 1). Dentsu partners with Lumen Research for first-of-its-kind audio attention study. https://lumen-research.com/blog/lumen-audio-attention-economy/
Marketing LTB. (n.d.). Audio advertising statistics 2026: 95+ stats & insights [Expert analysis]. https://marketingltb.com/blog/statistics/audio-advertising-statistics/
StopPress Team. (2026, May 21). NZ radio and audio audience growth driven by younger listeners. Includes commentary from Alistair Jamison and Michael Boggs. https://stoppress.co.nz/news/nz-radio-and-audio-audience-growth-driven-by-younger-listeners/