Rajar Q1 2020: Digital

Digital listening’s share has increased to a new record of 58.6% – representing a 4% growth in share percentage, according to the latest Rajar findings for Q1 2020.

Up from 56.4% in Q1 2019, online listening via smart speakers helped drive the growth, meaning 36.9m UK adults now listen digitally.

Broken down, listening via online and apps now accounts for 14% of all listening and nearly a quarter (24%) of digital listening, having grown by 25.4 million hours (or by 23%) year on year.
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With 32% of adults now claiming to own a smart speaker, online listening in home was for the fourth consecutive quarter the fastest growing platform and location, increasing by 21 million hours (or by 26.6%) year on year.

Listening via DAB now accounts for 40% of all listening and 69% of digital listening, while listening via DTV now accounts for 4% of all listening and 8% of digital listening.

The most popular digital-only station is BBC 6 Music which grew by 1.6% to hit a new record of 2.5m listeners, followed by KISSTORY, the most popular commercial digital-only station, which grew by 12% to reach 2m listeners. BBC Radio 4 Extra is the third most popular with almost 2m listeners.

“After the record digital listening growth in Q4 2019, what we have seen in the first quarter in 2020 is a shift towards listening online and via apps which now accounts for a record 14% of all radio listening,” said Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK.

“This is being prompted by the growth in use of smart speakers, which are in almost a third of homes, and record levels of online growth for commercial radio. This is an important long term trend and one we expect to see amplified during lockdown when there will be more listening in home and less on the move.”