Brandwave

The Hits vs The Sound:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The Hits had more branded searches than The Sound among radio stations in New Zealand. The Hits had about 7,700 branded searches, while The Sound had 1,300. The Hits made up 3.3% of all radio station searches we track, and The Sound accounted for 0.56%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about radio stations, The Hits appeared in three of the five answers and The Sound in two. The Hits was mentioned before The Sound in every answer that named either.

Among radio stations in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The Hits, about 6 searches for every 1 for The Sound

The Hits 7.7K searchesThe Sound 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

The Hits, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, The Sound in 2

The Hits in 3 of 5The Sound in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The Hits, named ahead of The Sound in 3 of 3 answers

The Hits first in 3The Sound never first

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Top radio stations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Hits was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both 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 Hits was listed before The Sound in every answer 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. 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.

Is The Hits or The Sound more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for The Hits and The Sound 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.

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

Share of searches by month for The Hits, 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%

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

3 findings
  • The Hits was ahead of The Sound in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • 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.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Sound’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand held steady at 0.56%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.3K.

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. In September 2026, The Sound rose from 14th to 13th among radio stations in New Zealand.

How are branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Hits’ and The Sound’s 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.

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

The Sound

1 branded search term

  • the sound radio

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among radio stations

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