Media Releases

RNZ wraps up 2021 with an audience high

Released at 2:35 pm on 2 December 2021

RNZ is ending the year on a high, with the strongest audience levels of 2021 across radio and digital channels. RNZ has continued to have an outstanding showing at local and international awards on all platforms, and RNZ’s radical sharing strategy continues to break new ground with Proof, a documentary produced in-house at RNZ by Guyon Espiner and Claire Eastham-Farrelly, screening on both RNZ.co.nz and TVNZ last month and a new content-sharing partnership with Mediaworks that has just been signed. From later this month, RNZ-credited stories will be included in news bulletins across Mediaworks stations.

Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief Paul Thompson says that it’s great to wrap up 2021 with strong audience numbers on air and online.

“Our audiences on all platforms are growing strongly and are highly engaged with RNZ’s high quality, trusted public media content,” he said.

“There are so many things for our team to be proud of. Excellent numbers, recognition for the quality of our work in New Zealand and overseas, and the consistent, trusted public media content that’s so important at any time, but especially during times of crisis.”

Key numbers

Radio
RNZ’s radio stations have reached their highest audience levels of the year. Latest GfK survey results show that 626,700 New Zealanders typically tune in to RNZ National each week, an increase of 37,100 listeners since the previous survey and its highest audience of 2021. The growth was also reflected in numbers across all shows. (See detailed numbers below).

Each week 235,500 New Zealanders typically tune into RNZ Concert, 25,200 more listeners than recorded in the previous survey, and up 62,200 from the final survey of 2019.

Website/App
More New Zealanders than ever are engaging with news, video, podcasts and other content on the RNZ website. In October, 1,366,000 New Zealanders aged 15+ visited RNZ.co.nz, up from 1,211,000 in September, and more than three times the audience of 417,000 reached in January last year. 681,000 New Zealanders aged 25-54 accessed RNZ.co.nz, up from 557,000 in September and a fivefold increase since the start of 2020.

Usage of the RNZ app has also reached an all-time high. Numbers have increased considerably since Aotearoa moved into lockdown level 4 and regional restrictions were introduced. During this period app user numbers grew to 125,214 users per week, up 18% compared to the same period last year.

Multi-platform storytelling

A focus on multi-platform storytelling continues to increase RNZ’s reach, and is garnering not just increased audience numbers, but recognition locally and internationally.

Investigations by the In Depth team this year have not only broken important stories, but also resulted changes and reviews. The government is planning to introduce a bill to parliament that would see birth injuries covered by ACC after Anusha Bradley reported on women struggling for help. ACC has also commissioned an independent review into access and use of client information, after another Anusha Bradley investigation revealed serious privacy breaches by staff.

In Depth’s Farah Hancock has tracked the Covid outbreak through data. This has proved incredibly informative and popular with audiences.

Last month, RNZ had a very strong showing at the prestiguous AIBs (international broadcasting awards), as well as gaining 10 wins at the NZ Podcast Awards.  RNZ is also a finalist five times at the upcoming NZ Television Awards.

“It was a real thrill to see RNZ’s radio, video and online work recognised at the AIBs, as well as RNZ being named Best Publisher at the NZ Podcast Awards. The quality of work we’ve been able to deliver through our Commissioning department continues to get better and better, and it’s really exciting to see Fight for the Wild, NZ Wars and Untold Pacific History up there with the best at the TV Awards,” Paul Thompson said.

Recent Awards

NZ TV Awards Finalists

Best Factual Series - Fight For The Wild (Great Southern Television for RNZ)

Best Māori Programme - NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui (Great Southern Television for RNZ)

Best Pasifika Programme - Untold Pacific History (Tikilounge Productions for RNZ)

Best Camerawork: Documentary/Factual - Fight For The Wild (Peter Young)

Best Original Score – Fight For The Wild (Tom McLeod)

AIBs

TV/Video - Natural World - Fight for the Wild - Fisheye Films for RNZ - Winner

TV/Video - Domestic Affairs Documentary - NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui - Great Southern Television for RNZ – Highly Commended

Radio/Audio - News Reporting - Checkpoint: COVID Lockdown Special - Winner

Special Award - Young Journalist - Te Aniwa Hurihanganui

NZ Podcast Awards

Gold awards

Best Publisher

Best Culture & Arts – Black Sheep

Best True Crime - Black Sheep

Best Science & Environment - Our Changing World

Best Current Affairs - Mediawatch

Silver award

Best Current Affairs – Saturday Morning with Kim Hill

Bronze awards

Best Science & Environment - Fight for the Wild

Best News & Politics – Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan

Best Radio Podcast - Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

Best True Crime - Crimes NZ

 

NZ Webfest Awards

Best Show (NZ Factual) - Untold Pacific History (made by Tikilounge Productions for RNZ

NY Festival Radio Awards 2021 

Personal Lives Podcast - The Unthinkable – Gold
Environment & Ecology Documentary - Voices from Antarctica – Silver
History Documentary - Black Sheep – Bronze
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Detailed audience results

RNZ radio stations reach their highest audience levels of the year

  • Typically 731,200 New Zealanders listen to either RNZ National or RNZ Concert each week, up 37,500 compared to the previous survey
  • Each week 235,500 New Zealanders typically tune into RNZ Concert, that’s 25,200 more listeners than recorded in the previous survey, and up 62,200 from the final survey of 2019 (pre-Covid)
  • Latest survey results show that 626,700 New Zealanders typically tune in to RNZ National each week, an increase of 37,100 listeners since the previous survey and its highest audience of 2021. This increase reflects growth across all major RNZ National weekday and weekend shows. RNZ Te Ao Māori shows Te Manu Korihi and Te Ahi Kaa both saw an audience increase of 55%.

 

More New Zealanders than ever engage with content on the RNZ website

  • In October, 1,366,000 New Zealanders aged 15+ visited RNZ.co.nz, up from 1,211,000 in September, and more than three times the audience of 417,000 reached in January last year
  • 681,000 New Zealanders aged 25-54 accessed RNZ.co.nz, up from 557,000 in September and a fivefold increase since the start of 2020

 

Usage of the RNZ app reaches all time high

  • Usage of the RNZ app has grown considerably since Aotearoa moved into lockdown level 4 and regional restrictions were introduced.  During this period app user numbers grew to 125,214 users per week, up 18% compared to the same period last year

 

Engagement with RNZ’s social media channels grows

  • During weeks 34 - 48 this year RNZ’s Facebook channel experienced solid audience growth with user numbers typically reaching 1,040,171 per week, an increase of 30.7% compared to the same period last year 

 

Engagement with RNZ content on third party platforms increases

  • In the past three months (August-October) RNZ audio was streamed 876,632 times on iHeart Radio, an increase of 30.8% compared to the same period last year
  • Engagement with on-demand content including podcasts continues to grow, downloads/plays from third party platforms amassed 5,647,645 in the past three months (August-October), an increase of 17.7% compared to the same period in 2020