Brandwave

How popular isThe Sound?

In September 2026, people searched for The Sound by name about 1,300 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 0.56% of all New Zealand radio station searches, placing The Sound 13th out of 15 stations. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about radio stations, The Sound appeared in two of the five answers and was the tenth most recommended of the 15.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

The Sound is the 13th most searched of 15 competitors and the tenth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Newstalk ZBShare of searches 26.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. The RockShare of searches 20.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  3. RNZ NationalShare of searches 16.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. The BreezeShare of searches 5.6%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  5. The SoundShare of searches 0.56%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 10th

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Top radio stations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Sound was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. The Sound is the tenth most recommended of the 15.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. RNZ National1st
  2. Newstalk ZB2nd
  3. ZM3rd
  4. The Edge4th
  5. More FM5th
  6. The Rock6th
  7. The Hits7th
  8. The Breeze8th
  9. George FM9th
  10. The Sound10th
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • RNZ National5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Newstalk ZB4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Rock4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ZM4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Breeze3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Edge3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • More FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Radio Hauraki3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • George FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Sound2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about radio stations

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which radio stations compete with The Sound?

The Sound against radio stations in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Newstalk ZB, The Rock, RNZ National, The Breeze, The Edge, More FM, Radio Hauraki, Coast, George FM, The Hits, ZM, The Sound. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNewstalk ZBThe RockRNZ NationalThe BreezeThe EdgeMore FMRadio HaurakiCoastGeorge FMThe HitsZMMai FMThe SoundMagicFlava
Oct 202526.9%10.5%22.5%6.1%2.8%6%5.3%5%4.3%3.7%2.2%2.3%0.56%1.8%0.25%
Nov 202528.4%8.7%22.4%7.4%2.7%5%5.6%5.2%3.7%3.4%2%2.5%0.46%2.3%0.27%
Dec 202527.1%9.3%22.3%7.2%2.6%5%6.5%6.3%3.5%3.5%2.1%2.4%0.53%1.4%0.26%
Jan 202628.1%7.7%24.5%6%2.6%5.1%6.7%5.7%3.6%3.5%2.7%2%0.48%1.2%0.26%
Feb 202627.6%8.5%22.8%6.1%2.6%6.2%6.6%5.1%2.9%4.1%2.7%2.9%0.48%0.95%0.39%
Mar 202628.8%8.7%24.2%6.4%2.7%6.2%5.6%5.1%2.5%3.5%2.3%2.5%0.41%0.83%0.33%
Apr 202630.8%7.7%25.5%7.3%2.4%4.7%4.9%4.5%3.3%3%2.5%2.2%0.43%0.74%0.24%
May 202631.2%8.7%22%6.7%2.9%5.6%5%5.4%2.7%3.7%2.5%2.2%0.5%0.59%0.3%
Jun 202631.7%8.2%22%6.3%2.5%5.7%5.1%5.5%2.7%3.9%2.4%2.7%0.51%0.57%0.3%
Jul 202628.1%9.5%23.6%6.6%2.6%5.2%5.5%4.9%3%4.8%2.4%2.4%0.48%0.59%0.32%
Aug 202629.4%11%20.6%6.4%2.4%5.4%7%4.4%3.1%3.8%3%2.1%0.41%0.66%0.34%
Sep 202626.9%20.5%16.7%5.6%5%4.9%4.3%4%3.5%3.3%2%1.9%0.56%0.49%0.26%

  1. 1.Newstalk ZB

    26.9%

    Held 1st. 62.1K estimated branded searches, -0.48% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  2. 2.The Rock

    20.5%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 47.3K estimated branded searches, +103% vs prior month. Share +9.5 points.

  3. 3.RNZ National

    16.7%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 38.5K estimated branded searches, -11.7% vs prior month. Share -3.8 points.

  4. 4.The Breeze

    5.6%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 12.9K estimated branded searches, -4.2% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  5. 5.The Edge

    5%

    Moved from 11th to 5th. 11.5K estimated branded searches, +123% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.

  6. 6.More FM

    4.9%

    Held 6th. 11.2K estimated branded searches, -3.1% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  7. 7.Radio Hauraki

    4.3%

    Moved from 4th to 7th. 10K estimated branded searches, -33% vs prior month. Share -2.7 points.

  8. 8.Coast

    4%

    Moved from 7th to 8th. 9.1K estimated branded searches, -1.3% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  9. 9.George FM

    3.5%

    Held 9th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  10. 10.The Hits

    3.3%

    Moved from 8th to 10th. 7.7K estimated branded searches, -5.8% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  11. 11.ZM

    2%

    Moved from 10th to 11th. 4.7K estimated branded searches, -27.4% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  12. 12.Mai FM

    1.9%

    Held 12th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  13. 13.The Sound

    0.56%

    Moved from 14th to 13th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, +47.7% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  14. 14.Magic

    0.49%

    Moved from 13th to 14th. 1.1K estimated branded searches, -20.6% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  15. 15.Flava

    0.26%

    Held 15th. 590 estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between The Sound and its closest rivals

Every comparison with The Sound

14 comparisons

How has branded search demand for The Sound changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for The Sound in New Zealand held steady at 1.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Sound rose from 14th to 13th among radio stations in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand radio stations in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, The Rock overtook RNZ National to rank 2nd among radio stations in New Zealand, with 20.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, The Edge overtook Radio Hauraki and 5 others to rank 5th among radio stations in New Zealand, with 5% of the searches.

  3. In September 2026, RNZ National lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 20.6% to 16.7%.

  4. In September 2026, Radio Hauraki lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 7% to 4.3%.

  5. In September 2026, Newstalk ZB lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 29.4% to 26.9%.

  6. In September 2026, ZM lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 3% to 2%.

How are The Sound’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Sound’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • the sound radio

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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