ABC’s spending on advertising, marketing and promotions has soared, new data shows

The taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s spending on advertising, marketing and promotions has soared despite falling audiences.

The ABC’s spending on advertising has soared in 2024 and has included spending more than $3.8m in the March quarter to advertise the broadcaster despite being hit with declining audiences.

New figures obtained under freedom of information showed in the first quarter of 2024 the ABC spent a total of $6m on advertising, promotions and audience research compared to $3.6m in the same quarter in 2023 – or a 69 per cent increase.

For the 12 months to the end of March, the ABC has also spent $20.1m on these three categories.

The ABC, headed up by managing director David Anderson, has recently been promoting its content on billboards and also in online ads but continues to deal with falling audiences – radio audience figures released last week showed a further decline to radio listenership in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The latest FOI data, obtained by think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, showed in the first three months of this year the ABC spent $3.8m on advertising, $2m on audience research and $144,000 on promotions.

This compares the same period in 2023 when the ABC spent nearly $1.8m on advertising, $87,000 on promotions and $1.7m on audience research.

ABC managing director David Anderson. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

The IPA’s research analyst Mia Schlicht said it’s concerning the taxpayer-funded broadcaster was spending tens of millions to promote itself.

“Australians are being forced to fund exorbitant advertising and promotions for ABC programs that are attracting an ever-decreasing audience share,” she told The Australian.

“There is absolutely no need for this sort of wasteful expenditure.

“ABC management has a habit of crying poor and demanding more money from taxpayers, it’s about time it looked at its own financial mismanagement and priorities.”

But an ABC spokesman said the spending is justified: “ABC’s modest budget for marketing is significantly lower than our commercial competitors.

“It is important for all Australians to hear and know about the content and services the ABC offers, to deliver as much value back to taxpayers as possible.

“The changes in expenditure also reflect significant cost increases for data research that are affecting the entire industry.”

In the ABC’s 2023 annual report, it outlined that the 2023-24 financial year is the first of the new five-year funding plan that runs until 2028 and also noted the challenges with attracting audiences.

“Audiences for broadcast radio and television remain large, however they are in consistent decline, and Australians of all ages are embracing on-demand, social and other digital media,” the report said.

In the 2022-23 financial year, the ABC received $1.07bn in funding and an additional $83.7m sweetener.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the ABC’s spending was a matter for management.

“The ABC has operational and editorial independence,” the spokesman said.

“Questions about ABC spending on promotions and advertising should be directed to management”.

Originally published as ABC’s spending on advertising, marketing and promotions has soared, new data shows