Broadcast radio ad revenue drops for 2023

Broadcast radio ad revenue for 2023 across the five major metropolitan markets was $673.252 million, compared to $701.402 million in 2022, according to annual and quarterly figures from the industry body Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA).

Quarterly broadcast radio ad revenue ad revenue fell 6% in the fourth quarter across the five metro markets, with Q4 2023 broadcast revenue at $173.915 million, compared to Q4 2022’s $185.062 million. Digital audio ad revenue was up 31% for Q4 2023, compared to the same period last year.

Metropolitan radio broadcast advertising revenue results exclude digital audio streaming and podcast revenue, which reached record levels in 2023, up 27% for the year.

Ford Ennals, CEO of CRA, says that overall commercial radio ad revenue remains broadly stable despite a challenging market.

“Radio is consistently out-performing other media, and our annual broadcast ad revenue was actually up 1.1% from 2021, but clearly there are pressures on the broader ad market,” he says.

“Ad spending in the travel and automotive sectors is encouraging and we are positive about radio’s performance for the year ahead.”

“Radio remains the medium where agencies can get value for money when budgets are tight. We expect to see investment to continue at similar levels this year, as agencies and their clients recognise radio’s capacity to deliver.”

The quarterly and yearly broadcast radio ad revenue figures were compiled by media data analytics company Milton Data. AdNews