Australian Radio Ratings: KIIS FM Plunges After Kyle and Jackie O Departure; ABC Continues Struggles
The third radio ratings survey of 2026 shows KIIS FM's Sydney breakfast audience fell by one-third following the departure of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, while ABC Melbourne recorded one of its worst-ever audience shares. KIIS FM's Sydney breakfast share dropped from 11.7 to 8.2 per cent, losing 122,000 cumulative listeners, though the station's Melbourne performance remained relatively stable. The results highlight the significant audience impact of losing a marquee breakfast duo and raise questions about ARN's syndication strategy going forward.
The third Australian radio ratings survey of 2026, covering March 1 to May 23, reveals significant shifts across the Melbourne and Sydney markets. KIIS FM in Sydney suffered its steepest recorded breakfast ratings drop, losing 3.5 percentage points to fall to an 8.2 per cent share, with average breakfast listeners declining from 93,000 to 62,000 — a fall of roughly one-third — in the first full survey period without Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson. In Melbourne, KIIS FM fared better, shedding only 0.4 points in breakfast while growing its overall weekly share marginally to 5.3 per cent. ABC Melbourne continued to struggle, recording a 4.1 per cent total share — near its worst in the modern ratings era — though small gains in Mornings, Drive, and Evenings offered tentative signs of stabilisation. ARN's Gold Melbourne also declined, shedding 72,000 cumulative listeners and dropping to an 11.5 per cent share, though breakfast host Christian O'Connell showed growth in Sydney under ARN's syndication strategy. Triple M Melbourne was a notable gainer, rising 1.1 points to an 8.2 per cent overall share, while sports station SEN climbed 1.7 points to 4.8 per cent.
What's missing
The articles do not address what replacement programming ARN has scheduled for the Kyle and Jackie O timeslot in Sydney, nor any confirmed timeline for resolving the legal dispute with Sandilands and Henderson, both of which are directly relevant to assessing the ratings trajectory.
How coverage differed
The Sydney Morning Herald provided detailed, measured analysis of the ratings across both cities with nuanced framing around 'green shoots' and strategic context. The Daily Telegraph's headline used the word 'walloping' to characterise KIIS FM's decline, adopting a more sensationalised tone, though its full article content was inaccessible due to a cookie-wall.
What different sources said
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Kyle and Jackie departure leaves a big hole for KIIS in latest radio ratings
- Daily Telegraph SydneyCenter
‘Walloping’: KIIS FM suffers record ratings plunge
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