With the new LHF advertising restrictions less than a month away, The Media Leader is exploring how different channels are preparing for the change and how they will be affected. First, the audio sector.
15-24-year-olds are overindexing on decades stations relative to their overall radio listening.
Commercial listening now accounts for 55.7% of total listening, compared to the BBC’s 42.1%. But total radio listening declined, including modest quarterly contractions for Global and Bauer.
Bauer’s Magic breakfast show saw a 27.1% decline year on year, as well as the Kiss breakfast show which saw a 42% decline year on year.
Online listening now has a 29.1% share, compared to just 26.6% for AM/FM.
Heart Breakfast grew its weekly reach by 3.3% year on year, as host Jamie Theakston returned to the show in mid-January following a leave of absence to receive cancer treatment.
Commercial radio’s audience share expanded marginally in Q1, according to the latest Rajars, with Global maintaining mid-single-digit year-on-year growth.
Total share of digital listening rebounded from last quarter, growing 1.1 percentage points to 73.3%, according to the latest Rajar figures.
Commercial radio listening fell modestly from Q3 to Q4 to 39.9m, but listeners still grew by 2% year on year.
Commercial audiences helped drive 1.6% growth in total radio listening in Q4 as Global capped off a strong year of growth despite a milder quarter for listening.