Rajar Q4 2014: National stations and networks

Reach

Total Global Radio (UK) maintained its dominance over the national and networks with 21.2 million listeners on average. Although the network saw very little change over the quarter (-0.2%), it was up a healthy 6.2% year on year.

Despite Global’s Heart Network (UK) also recording a quarterly decline (-0.4%), the station increased its weekly reach by an enormous 23.8% compared with the previous year, taking its weekly reach to just over 9 million. This was due to Real stations changing to Heart.

Global’s Classic FM also did well, with a 7.1% quarter on quarter increase helping the station average a little under 5.6 million weekly listeners. Global’s LBC Network (UK), which famously saw James O’Brien take down Nigel Farage on LBC Radio last year, also celebrated a modest increase over the quarter, up 3.4%.

Bauer Radio (including Orion) maintained the second spot with a weekly reach of almost 17 million, while Bauer Radio’s total portfolio, in third place, secured a little over 16 million following an 11.3% year on year boost.

There was little change to BBC stations over the quarter, with Radio 2 up 1.8%, Radio 4 (including 4 Extra) up 1.1% and Radio 1 down -1.1%; however, the majority of BBC stations were down over the year.

However, BBC’s 6 Music, the largest digital-only station, celebrated both quarterly and yearly gains, with reach up 4.5% in Q4 to take its weekly reach to over 2 million listeners.

With less sport to cover over the winter months, BBC Radio 5 Live (including sports extra) was down -6.9% quarter on quarter and -12.6% year on year, while talkSPORT was down -4.5% compared with Q3.

Not such great news for BBC Radio 5 live sports extra on its own, however, which was down a huge -46% quarter on quarter and -26.1% year on year.

Elsewhere, Bauer’s Kiss Network is a new combined entry for Rajar, replacing the Kiss UK brand whilst adding Kerrang! and Heat to its weekly reach figures. The combination sees the network kick off with a reach of more than 6.1 million weekly listeners – 1.3 million more than the previous incarnation Kiss UK.

Share

Total Global Radio (UK) dominated the total share of listening for national stations in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 0.5 percentage points quarter on quarter to secure an 18.6% share.

Performing slightly better than the third quarter, BBC Radio 2 maintained second position with a 17.8% share (up 0.8 percentage points), followed by Bauer Radio Total (including Orion) with 14.4% and then Bauer Radio Total with 13.6%.

BBC Radio 4 (including 4 Extra) was up just 0.1 percentage points, quarter on quarter, to secure a 12.9% share, whilst BBC Radio 4 saw no change in Q4 – maintaining its 11.9% share.

Most other quarterly increases and decreases were marginal.

Average hours

The fourth quarter of 2014 saw mixed results for radio stations across the nation, and, by and large, was more tumultuous than the third quarter.

Of the top five radio stations – in terms of hours listened to – three recorded declines.

Top dog BBC Radio Four (including 4 Extra) was down -0.8%, along with Radio 4 (down -2.6%) and LBC Network (down -2.8%) – whilst BBC Radio 2 and Total Global Radio (UK) recorded quarter on quarter growth of 2.6% and 2.3%, respectively.

Elsewhere, BBC 6 Music, with no summer festivals to attend, recorded one of the biggest declines – down -13% quarter on quarter.

It was a similar story for Planet Rock, down -11.1%, and Classic FM which saw a -8.6% drop reduce average listening hours from 7 hours to 6.4.

Fans of synth pop demonstrated their love by increasing their average listening hours of Absolute 80s by 23.4%, adding more than hour.

Whilst those more in love with Britpop and Baggy helped Absolute Radio 90s drive average hours per listener up 16.7% to 4.9 hours.