Following on from a strong final quarter of 2009 which saw a revenue uplift of 6.3 per cent, new figures for 2009 released today by the Radio Advertising Bureau reveal that the commercial radio sector has grown its share of the display advertising market for the first time in five years.
Official figures show that while the overall media market declined by 12.7 per cent in 2009, radio grew its share of total display from 5.8 per cent to 5.9 per cent, the first annual growth since 2004.
The RAB anticipates that this positive trend will continue into 2010, with industry estimates indicating that Q1 has increased year on year, with national advertising leading the way with a 15 per cent increase.
The figures follow last week’s RAJAR data for the first quarter of 2010, which showed the number of listeners tuning into a commercial radio service increasing to over 32 million weekly listeners – the highest figure since 2002.
Simon Redican, Managing Director, RAB, commented: “To see the first annual share growth for 5 years, during the worst recession in living memory, is a terrific achievement for the commercial radio sector, and one that is unmatched by any other traditional media.
"It is a strong signal that the sector has turned a corner and not only halted decline, but moved into renewed growth, and is further evidence that the commercial radio industry’s on-going investment into programming, talent and marketing is paying dividends in both audience and revenue performance.”