Rajar Q1 2023: commercial radio audience at ‘all time high’

Commercial radio hit record weekly reach and share of listening according to the latest Rajar radio audience data.

Combined commercial radio stations reached a total of 38.7 million people every week during the first three months of the year, an increase of 0.6 million on the preceding quarter and 1.5 million on the same period last year.

This works out as six million more weekly listeners than the BBC, a wider gap than last quarter (4.9 million listeners), and this time last year (3.4 million listeners).

Commercial radio’s share of listening grew to 51.4%, up from 50.2% in Q4 2022 and 48.4% in Q1 2022. This comes after commercial radio’s share of listening surpassed the BBC for the first time in 23 years in Q2 2022, and has held the majority share ever since.

The BBC’s share of listening for Q1 2023 was 46.3%, a slight quarter-on-quarter decrease from 47.1% in Q4 2022 and a year-on-year decline from 49.2% in Q1 2022.

For the first time, the share of commercial radio listening happening on online platforms was higher than its analogue listening on AM/FM this quarter (28% vs 27%).

Total combined digital listening reached 68% share of listening, with 39.8% from DAB and 24.4% online. Smart speakers made up the majority of online listening with 14%.

Global maintained its top position for weekly reach and share of listening for all of its combined stations’, including LBC, Capital and Smooth. In total Global netted of 25.27 million weekly listeners and 23% share in the last quarter.

Global’s Heart was the top commercial radio brand in the UK again reaching 11.3 million listeners on a weekly basis, which was an uplift of 3.6 percentage points quarter-on-quarter and 10.0 points year-on-year.

Bauer Media Audio network, the UK’s second biggest commercial radio company which owns Absolute Radio, KISS, Magic and Greatest Hits Radio Network, grew its overall weekly reach to 20.84 million listeners, while its share of listening was largely flat quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year at 18.4%.

Bauer’s main music radio service, Hits Radio Brand Network, carried on its growth trajectory reaching 11.0 million people each week, up 8.7 percentage points on the previous quarter, and 10 points on the previous year.

BBC Radio 2 maintained its position as the biggest station in the UK with a weekly reach of 14.50 million listeners, up 1.2 percentage points on the last quarter, but down 0.8 percentage points on the previous year.

As a whole, the latest quarterly UK audience report showed radio reached 49.4 million people, or 88% of the population, slightly down on the last quarter when UK radio reached 50 million people, or 89% of the population, on a weekly basis.

Matt Payton, CEO of Radiocentre, the trade body for commercial radio, said of the latest Rajar results: “It’s great to see commercial radio setting new audience records in these latest Rajar figures. There is real momentum behind radio and audio, with the industry stronger than ever thanks to the investment and innovation of radio groups and stations all over the UK.

“This couldn’t be better news for advertisers and listeners alike. The continued growth of listening online and on smart speakers also demonstrates how important new legislation safeguarding UK radio is going to be for audiences, in the form of the new Media Bill.”