2GB has strengthened its position as Sydney’s #1 station in the second GfK radio ratings survey of 2025, with breakfast host Ben Fordham and mornings presenter Mark Levy both recording strong gains.
It marks another win for Nine’s talk network, which is seeing broader growth in listening trends across key metro markets.
Sydney success: Fordham extends lead, Levy finds momentum
Fordham posted a 1.4 lift in Survey 2, taking his lead to 15.6% and further entrenching his dominance in Sydney’s competitive morning market.
Meanwhile, Levy, who stepped into the mornings role following Ray Hadley’s exit, has now delivered two back-to-back number ones since taking over.
This survey saw Levy record a 15.5% share, up 2.0 share points from Survey 1.
“Ben and Mark are happy. Especially Mark, he’s flying,” Nine Radio’s Head of Content, Greg Byrnes, told Mediaweek.
“Survey 1 was a great result for Mark, first one out of the shoot to be number one off the back of Ray. And then he’s taken that figure up further two points today, which is great. It just allows him to open the shoulders, be confident in what he’s doing and the team he has around him.”
Fordham’s sustained strength at breakfast is a testament to the program’s stamina in what Byrnes describes as one of the toughest shifts in the industry. “They work very hard in breakfast… it’s really tough hours and relentless content. So it’s a good win for both of those programs, and really sets us up nicely for the rest of the year,” he said.
2GB Morning’s presenter Mark Levy
Momentum in Brisbane and Perth
Beyond Sydney’s stellar performance, Byrnes highlighted encouraging audience trends in Perth and Brisbane, particularly regarding time spent listening (TSL).
In Brisbane, Triple M may have claimed the top spot overall with a 12.9% share, but Nine’s 4BC showed solid engagement up 4.9% from last survey’s 4.4%.
While in Perth, despite Nova 93.7 extending its lead recording a 17% share, Nine’s 6PR managed a surge in time spent listening (TSL), a metric Byrnes believes is a key signal of long-term growth.
“We’re happier across the board because Perth and Brisbane have also shown some really good audience trends in relation to time spent listening,” Byrnes said. “Time spent listening has been a challenge for us over the last couple of years… we’re basically up about 50 minutes, a really big increase in Perth and, to a lesser extent, in Brisbane and Sydney.”
Byrnes noted that increased TSL is not just a number, it reflects deeper audience connection and trust in local content. “It’s really promising for the content teams who are in there building their rundowns day to day. It’s making people stick around. They like what they’re hearing.”
Greg Byrnes
Linear and podcasts
While TSL had previously been impacted by the rise of on-demand audio, Byrnes said the network has leaned into podcasting and streaming with a clear strategy to complement, not compete with, its live offering.
“We’ve shown now that we can commercialise [podcasting] and tie it into linear. We’re very strong in streaming, and these figures show again today that the talk audience embraces it, whether it be catch-up or live radio,” he said.
“Everyone seems to have a podcast, and that’s okay. We’re happy to play in that space.”
Live and local
Despite changes in technology and audience habits, Byrnes said the core of Nine Radio’s strategy remains anchored in immediacy and community relevance, factors he believes differentiate talk from any other audio format.
“For us in talk, what sets us apart is that live and local nature of the content,” he said. “If there’s a train strike, an election incident, or a weather event, you hear about that immediately on our form of radio. You don’t get that on a podcast, and that’s okay. We’re not playing in that space. We’re playing live and local.”
With line-up changes now bedded in across multiple markets, and more audiences choosing to stick around, Byrnes said Nine Radio is well-positioned to keep challenging established players, especially in Brisbane and Perth.
“We’re absolutely challenger brands in Brisbane and Perth,” he said. “But what we can do is have people on the air who understand their market. Each market’s different… What is universal is live and local, but the sound of the stations and the presenters is tailored to each city.”
As the network looks ahead to the rest of 2025, Byrnes says the focus remains the same: relevance, immediacy, and connection.
“It’s a bloody good day,” he said.