Ratings bloodbath: Triple M soars, Nova stumbles, and KIIS can’t catch a break
Nova 106.9 has suffered its biggest drop of the year with Triple M cementing its dominance to take out Brisbane’s top spot in the latest radio ratings.
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Triple M has obliterated the competition in Brisbane’s latest GfK radio ratings, cementing its status as the city’s number one station and knocking former breakfast leader Nova 106.9 off its lofty perch.
In what marks their third straight ratings win, the SCA powerhouse captured 13.3 per cent of the overall market share in Survey 4, released Tuesday, further widening the gap between themselves and the rest of the FM pack.
And it’s breakfast where the real upset unfolded.
Triple M’s Marto, Margaux and Dan pulled off a staggering leap, gaining 1.5 percentage points to dominate the coveted morning slot with 13.2 per cent, narrowly toppling sister station B105’s Stav, Abby and Matt, who sit just behind at 13.1 per cent.
Industry insiders attribute the breakfast show’s “unfiltered, pub-style banter with larrikin energy” as its secret sauce, that’s clearly hitting the mark with Brisbane audiences.
Southern Cross Austereo’s chief executive John Kelly lauded Triple M’s stellar performance.
“Today’s outstanding results for Brisbane, with SCA securing both the Number 1 and Number 2 stations and breakfast shows, reflect the team’s hard work and our unwavering commitment to our live and local strategy,” he said.
“Triple M delivered an outstanding performance, with both the station and Marto, Margaux & Dan in breakfast, Number 1 in market. Overall, we are very pleased with today’s results.”
It’s a massive fall from grace for Nova 106.9’s Ash, Luttsy and Nikki Osborne, whose reign atop the breakfast throne has come to an abrupt end.
The trio, who won the last two surveys, tumbled to third place with 12.2 per cent, suffering the largest drop in the breakfast slot this round — a full one-point decline.
It’s a worrying sign for Nova, which also slipped in overall market share, dropping to 10.3 per cent and now trailing Triple M and B105, and barely clinging to a lead over AM nostalgia station 4BH on 10.1 per cent.
“Brisbane remains one of the most competitive radio markets in the country, especially in breakfast, and there are three quality shows in the mix,” Nova Group Programming Director Brendan Taylor said.
“Of course, we’re always aiming to win, but to be in the position we’re in is something we’re proud of. We’re very focused on the upcoming surveys.”
Meanwhile, KIIS 97.3’s breakfast trio Robin, Kip and Corey Oates have once again clung tightly to their now-familiar spot in fourth place.
In the latest survey, the trio slipped by 0.9 points — the second-largest drop among all breakfast shows — landing on a modest 9.7 per cent share.
It’s a position that’s becoming all too familiar for the embattled show, with insiders joking they’re becoming the “bridesmaids of Brisbane radio… never first, rarely third, but reliably fourth.”
Industry experts have also noticed the team’s desperate bid to break their unlucky streak, ramping up social media clickbait and doubling down on controversial stunts.
Just last week, in a move raising parental eyebrows, the trio recreated a scene from the PG-13 comedy Anchorman.
B105, meanwhile, enjoyed a standout result across the board — coming in second overall with 12.2 per cent, a whopping 1.4-point increase, the biggest jump of any Brisbane station this survey.
Nova followed in third, while 4BH landed fourth.
KIIS 97.3 came in fifth overall — trailing all three major FM stations as well as 4BH on the AM dial.
In the cutthroat drive slot, B105’s national duo Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little retained their top spot, but local favourites Dobbo and Elliott’s The Rush Hour on Triple M gave them a run for their money — overtaking Nova’s Ricki-Lee, Tim and Joel and KIIS’s Will and Woody to snag second place.
It’s a major coup for the Queenslanders, who only launched the show in April after the network axed The Marty Sheargold Show.
When it comes to streaming, ABC Brisbane continues to lead the pack with 10.6 per cent share of the digital audience. Hot on their heels is 4BH, just behind at 10.2 per cent. Triple M rounded out the top three, climbing to 9.4 per cent — a solid 0.7-point jump since the previous survey.
Originally published as Ratings bloodbath: Triple M soars, Nova stumbles, and KIIS can’t catch a break
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