Commercial radio ad revenue saw a positive start to the year with revenue up 4.7% in January compared to January 2021, according to data released by industry body Commercial Radio Australia.

Ad revenue for the five major Australian capital city markets totalled $42.698 million in January 2022 compared to $40.796 million a year ago.

“The fast-moving Omicron variant and its associated disruptions threw us a curve ball as we moved into 2022, so it is very encouraging to see that ad revenue continued to record year on year growth in January,” said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia. “We expect that this positive trajectory will continue throughout the year as advertisers confidently invest in radio to deliver a high level of engagement for their brands.”

Sydney stations reported a 9.3% year on year increase in ad revenue to $12.436 million in the month of January while Perth stations were 8.6% higher at $5.937 million. Adelaide was up 4.4% to $3.796 million, Brisbane rose 3.0% to $6.249 million, and Melbourne stations increased 0.2% to $14.280 million.

The figures include agency and direct ad revenue and were compiled by media data analytics company Milton Data.