Digital Radio Fuelling Commercial Audience Rise

Homes equipped with digital radio receivers consume more commercial radio content than their analogue-only counterparts, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, which has stated that the influx of new stations and delivery methods is increasing the listening hours of commercial stations at the expense of the BBC.

Citing the results from RAJAR’s Q4 2004 listening survey, the RAB states that the increased share of listening in digital homes is “enormously encouraging” for the commercial radio industry, with the latest technology providing listeners with more choice than ever in receiving radio content.

Overall, the RAB states that commercial radio takes a 44.2% share of total radio listening, with the BBC taking over 55% share. In Digital homes, however, commercial radio share of listening increases by 7% to 47.4%, significantly narrowing the gap with the BBC.

A similar occurrence can be seen in London, where commercial radio already commands a higher share of listening than the BBC. Commercial radio’s share of listening in the capital lifts by 4% in digital homes, from a 51.9% share to 54.0% share.

Increased take up of DAB digital radio, digital TV and broadband are all contributing factors towards the boost in listening of digital radio, with more households than ever before possessing the necessary technology to receive the new channels. The latest figures from RAJAR show that 29.7% of adults have listened to digital radio via their TV, while 16.3% of adults have tuned in via the internet. Furthermore, with nearly 1.3 million DAB sets in the UK, over 5% of adults now listen to radio through a dedicated digital receiver.

The growth of each digital media will continue to strengthen commercial radio’s position in the marketplace, according to the RAB, with increased choice bringing larger audiences and allowing advertisers to more effectively target campaigns.

Michael O’Brien, operations director at the RAB, said:”Commercial radio has been bold and innovative in its approach to new ways to reach audiences. Commercial radio dominates the digital listening space, offering 362 Commercial DAB services compared to just 57 from the BBC, so its success should come as no surprise. Digital radio is not only good for listeners but is clearly already providing bigger audiences for advertisers.”

RAB: 020 7306 2500 www.rab.co.uk RAJAR: 020 7903 535 www.rajar.co.uk

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