Rajar Q2 2026
Commercial radio saw one of its strongest quarters, with its audience surpassing 40m to stand at 40.2m listeners each week, up 2% from the same period last year, according to the latest Rajar figures.
Global remains the largest commercial radio broadcaster with a listening share of 24.9%, down 0.3 percentage points from last quarter, while Bauer increased its listening share by 0.2 percentage points on the quarter to 19%.
Total weekly reach hit a record 51m, up 2% year on year.
Radiocentre’s CEO Matt Payton said: “These are really strong figures for radio, with a record audience of 51m people now tuning in each week across all platforms. This result underlines the enduring appeal of the medium and demonstrates its successful evolution alongside changing listener habits.
“For commercial radio, these latest figures reinforce radio’s ability to deliver mass reach for advertisers in a trusted environment, making it one the most effective channels for driving profit and helping brands grow.”
Here are the other takeaways from the Q2 Rajar figures:
National brands see declines in weekly reach
A number of Global and Bauer’s top national stations saw declines in weekly reach during Q2, including Heart (-1.6% to 12.8m), Capital (-4.7% to 8.8m), Hits Radio portfolio (-5% to 12.2m) and Greatest Hits Network (-5.5% to 6.8m).
This was also reflected in many of the BBC’s national station, including Radio 1 (-7.7%), Radio 2 (-2%), and Radio 4 (-3.3%), as well as at News Broadcasting, which saw its total portfolio decline by 4.3% year on year to 6.4m.
However, there was growth to be found among news brands, with LBC and Times Radio growing 9.2% and 7.1% year-on-year respectively, and both achieving record listener numbers, and GB News growing 34% year-on-year to 731,000.
James Rea, chief content officer at Global said: “We’re always delighted to see our brands deliver record numbers but we never lose sight of the overall power of radio to reach so many people, and to be such an important part of their daily lives.
“From Heart securing an exclusive interview with Prince William to LBC achieving its biggest results ever, it shows how powerful great content is at connecting with audiences. I’m so proud of our amazing teams at Global.”
>>> View the data: A record 51m people listen to UK radio each week
Online listening continues to grow
Online listening, which includes websites, apps, and smart speakers, now makes up over a third of commercial radio listening hours.
It comes as digital listening continues to dominate, making up three quarters of total radio listening, while AM/FM has fallen to 24.5%.
The sustained growth in digital listening has led to a boom in online ad revenues. According to the latest AA/Warc Expenditure Report, online radio saw strong ad revenue growth in Q1 (+22.1% year on year). Radio revenue more broadly grew ad revenue by 4.2% year on year.
>>> View the data: Online accounts for more than a third of commercial radio listening hours
KISS Breakfast rebrand paying off
Heart Breakfast with Jamie and Amanda (Global) saw its weekly reach decline in Q2, but retains its crown as the UK’s most popular commercial breakfast show.
BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show continues to lead the breakfast timeslot overall, despite a 0.7% quarterly decline to 6.3m weekly reach. Presenter Scott Mills was sacked at the end of March following allegations around his personal conduct. As a result, the show was presented by Gary Davies until 6 July when Sara Cox took over.
Meanwhile, Bauer’s KISS Breakfast saw huge growth of 40% year-on-year and 13.6% quarter-on-quarter to a weekly reach of 325,000. The growth can be attributed to presenters Tyler West and Chloe Burrows, who took over in February, alongside Bauer’s major rebrand of KISS which was launched in the spring.
Gary Stein, director of audio at Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “After a long hot summer, this is a scorching result for KISS and a brilliant reflection of the energy Tyler and Chloe have brought to Breakfast. They’ve made the show feel fresh, fun and genuinely connected to younger audiences.”
>>> View the data: Heart Breakfast growth stalls but remains most popular commercial breakfast show
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