Commercial radio revenues for Q2 2006 have risen year on year by 3.5% to £148.2 million, according to figures released by Ofcom and the RadioCentre.
Despite a troubled 12 months, the industry has seen a record investment in branded content such as sponsorships and promotions, which has grown more than 16% to more than £26 million.
Whilst national revenues are up 4.6% to £82.2 million, local revenues have dipped 5.4% to £39.9 million.
Michael O’Brien, head of strategy and operations at RadioCentre, said: “Commercial radio allows brands to get right inside station output in ways that other media can not match. This is helping drive branded content growth.
“Furthermore, as radio becomes multiplatform, the ways brands can reach and interact with listeners also expands. Investment in new ‘digital touchpoints’ will continue to build new revenues for the industry.”
Mark Barber, planning director at the Radio Advertising Bureau, added: “Radio is better able to adapt to the needs of advertisers and form mutually beneficial partnerships with brands, and these qualities are driving long-term growth in radio branded content revenues.
“The unique-to-radio opportunity to run with a single branded content idea across different radio groups is a compelling proposition for brands looking to develop content-based communication on an unrivalled scale, and is helping to drive further investment in this field.”
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