Nova Network Embraces Australia's Love For Country Music, Launches Station 'Fresh Country'

Australia’s Nova Network has tuned in to what’s hot in the mainstream in 2024: country music, and launched a new radio station.

Nova Fresh Country will launch this Friday (14 June) as Nova Network’s latest streaming station.

Billed as a radio station that suits die-hard country music lovers, as well as the country curious, Nova Fresh Country will spin the genre’s biggest stars, including Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and Zach Bryan, plus Australian country music talent.

Nova will celebrate the launch of Nova Fresh Country by partnering with Ridin’ Hearts festival – you can tune in on Friday to find out how you can win tickets to this year’s huge festival events in Melbourne and Sydney.

Nova has welcomed country music on its stations and Red Room in recent (and not so recent) years, with the Red Room hosting live performances from Keith Urban, Morgan Evans and Noah Kahan and the Nova Network putting on giveaways for tickets for Chris Stapleton’s first-ever Australian tour.

Jodie Williams, Nova Network’s Music Director, commented that the playlist on Nova stations has reflected the general public’s shift in embracing country music.

“Country music has snuck into the mainstream, and music lovers aren’t upset about it,” Williams said.

“Whether you enjoy the crossovers with Beyoncé and Post Malone, or you’re ready to start learning line-dances off TikTok, the popularity of country music is here to stay, and Nova Fresh Country will be the perfect place to get your fix.”

Nova Network welcoming country music with a new radio station arrives after news broke that Australia has become the third-largest market for country music, behind only the US and Canada.

What’s truly astounding is the number of Aussies consuming country music. According to a Luminate report, from the beginning of 2023 to the end of June, Australians streamed artists in the Top 500 US Country Songs over 1.1 billion times.

Overall, country music has hit a new peak across all its markets - on 1 June 2023, on-demand plays of country music reached 2.26 billion streams. Digital Music News noted that Wallen’s One Thing At A Time made up 9.6% of all country on-demand audio streaming since its 3 March 2023 release.