Brandwave

Mai FM vs The Hits:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The Hits had more branded searches than Mai FM among radio stations in New Zealand. The Hits had about 7,700 branded searches, while Mai FM had 4,400. The Hits made up 3.3% of all radio station searches we track, and Mai FM accounted for 1.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about radio stations, Mai FM and The Hits each appeared in three of the five answers. The Hits was mentioned before Mai FM in three out of four answers that named either.

Among radio stations in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The Hits, about 75% more searches than Mai FM

The Hits 7.7K searchesMai FM 4.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.

Mai FM in 3 of 5The Hits in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The Hits, named ahead of Mai FM in 3 of 4 answers

The Hits first in 3Mai FM first in 1

Follow Mai FM vs The Hits and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top radio stations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mai FM and The Hits were each mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. The Hits was listed before Mai FM in three out of four answers that named either.

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. +2 more
  11. Mai FM12th
  12. +3 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
  • Mai FM3 of 5Named in 1 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.

Is Mai FM or The Hits more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Mai FM and The Hits by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 radio stations we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Mai FM and The Hits among radio stations in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for The Hits, Mai FM. 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%

How has the Mai FM and The Hits comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The Hits was ahead of Mai FM in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mai FM’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand moved from 2.3% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.4K to 4.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Hits’ share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand moved from 3.7% to 3.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.7K to 7.7K.

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

3 changes

  1. 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.

  2. In September 2026, The Hits lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 3.8% to 3.3%.

  3. Mai FM’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.7% to 1.9% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mai FM’s and The Hits’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Mai FM

1 branded search term

  • mai fm

The Hits

13 branded search terms

  • radio the hits
  • The Hits
  • the hits dunedin
  • the hits fm
  • the hits live
  • the hits manawatu
  • the hits northland
  • the hits radio
  • the hits rotorua
  • the hits southland
  • the hits taranaki
  • the hits tauranga
  • the hits waikato

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among radio stations

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free