Rajar Q1 2014: Digital

Today Rajar announced that 90% of the adult UK population tuned in to their selected radio stations each week in the first quarter of 2014 – up by approximately 800,000 adults on the same quarter last year.

Listening to radio via a digital platform has played a key role in the increase, with weekly reach up by 4% year on year (YoY). 27.1 million people now tune in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver – DAB radio, digital TV and online – up from 26 million in quarter one 2013.

In total, 25 million adults have access to a DAB receiver, up 10% year on year.

However, it is the capital that is seeing the strongest shift to digital, which Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, said is partly due to strong digital growth by stations including LBC with their popular Radio Academy award-winning Ask Boris phone-in, Heart, Kiss, Smooth and Magic.

Nationally, analogue radio listening share is at its lowest ever, at 57.8% of all listening hours.

In terms of digital listening hours across the UK, the start of 2014 has witnessed a 7% increase over the last year to 379 million hours.

DAB radio is still the most popular device when it comes to listening digitally, accounting for 65% of all digital hours. Listening via a digital television represents 14% and listening online 17% of all digital listening hours.

18% of adults claim to listen to the radio via a mobile phone or tablet at least once per month. Up 43% YoY.

32% of 15-24 year olds claim to listen to the radio via a mobile phone or tablet at least once per month.

The share of all radio listening via a digital platform now stands at 36.6% compared to 34.3% for the corresponding period last year (up 7% YoY). The share of listening to DAB has increased by 5% YoY to 23.7% of all listening (22.5% in Q1, 2013).

“The shift to digital listening continues, with London leading the way,” said Ennals. “The fact that in London analogue radio listening is now below 50% overall and analogue listening in home is under 40% shows a dramatic and sustained transformation in radio listening.

“London has benefited from the growth in digital coverage and strong station performance on digital and we would expect to see the rest of the country follow suit, following the build-out of digital coverage across the UK, and the national expansion of LBC, Heart, Smooth and Kiss.”