NZME Reclaims Number One in News, Sport And Entertainment

NZME RECLAIMS NUMBER ONE IN NEWS, SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT

5 May 2016 – The results for the first 2016 GfK independent radio survey have been released. More people are listening to commercial radio in New Zealand, (up by more than 240,000Ɨ people) demonstrating the strong engagement radio continues to have with audiences. NZME has reclaimed the number one crown for News* (Newstalk ZB), Sport*^ (Radio Sport) and Entertainment*(Coast) for New Zealand.

“It’s been a great day,” says Dean Buchanan, NZME Group Director Entertainment. “To be number one in News*, Sport*^ and Entertainment* plus have the NZME network now taking the number one spot* in Auckland is hugely rewarding. Consumers love the content which creates a fantastic springboard for advertisers to connect with our audiences.”

Newstalk ZB has again been crowned the number one commercial station* in New Zealand.

“Newstalk ZB is a power brand, consistently being New Zealand’s leading commercial radio station* since 2003. The Mike Hosking Breakfast show continues to dominate, having more than double the audience (265,000^^) of the The Paul Henry Show (112,000^^). The gap is significant.”

In addition to NZME’s radio ratings growth Buchanan says the company’s digital strength has also increased. “On average each month we have 540,000 people visiting our radio station websites, 56,000 more than MediaWorks#.”

With more than 457,000 registered users on iHeartRadio and 615,638 app downloads, Buchanan says NZME’s proposition is unique in the digital space. “People may think of radio in the traditional sense but more and more people are listening to their favourite NZME talent on their phones and tablets via the iHeartRadio app. We’ve seen a massive 151% growth in people streaming iHeartRadio over the same period as last year. Of these 85% listened via a mobile device. It’s constantly growing and is a huge part of the NZME offering.”

NZME CEO, Michael Boggs praised the team for the results.

“I’m immensely proud of our outstanding talent within the NZME family and their constant drive, to create clever, entertaining and insightful content for our loyal listeners.”

Over the past 12 months NZME has partnered with Humm FM and WTV’s radio stations; Chinese Radio AM936 and FM 99.4 Chinese Voice which Boggs described as a strategic move.

“New Zealand is becoming increasingly diverse and we’re thrilled to welcome our new partners. The reach allows us to connect advertisers with a growing group of Kiwis. We are committed to constantly evolving our brands to meet the needs of both advertisers and listeners. These results show that we are delivering.”

ENDS

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