Rajar Q1 2016: Digital

For the first time, digital listening in the home has moved past the halfway mark, according to the latest Rajar figures, issued today (Thursday 19 May).

51.5% of all radio listening in UK households now occurs on a digital platform, ahead of listening on AM/FM (48.5%).

Overall, 30 million people (57%) tune in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver – DAB, television or online – with the share of all radio listening via a digital platform standing at 44.1%, up from 39.6% for the corresponding period last year.

The digital share is comprised of DAB share at 30.9%, digital TV at 5.4% and listening online or via an app at 7.8%.

Digital listening in an average week currently totals 444 million hours, with DAB radio accounting for 70% of all digital hours, while listening via TV currently represents 12% and listening online 18% (up 2% compared with the previous quarter).

Meanwhile, digital listening in cars grew by 32.5% to 21.2% of all listening (from 16% in Q1 2015), boosted by growth in new cars being fitted with digital radio as standard.

“What shines through this new listening data is the continuing and unstoppable shift to digital listening,” said Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK.

“We have seen record quarters for leading BBC and Commercial digital-only stations BBC 6 Music and Absolute 80s and digital listening on the BBC’s iconic stations Radio 3 and Radio 4 rising towards 50%.

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“With the listening benefits of the 16 new digital-only stations launched in March still to come later this year we can see a clear path through to the majority of listening being digital.”

25% of adults claim to listen to the radio via a mobile phone or tablet at least once per month, up 14% year on year, rising to 37% of 15-24 year olds (up 7% year on year).

On average, a listener tunes in to 21 hours of live radio per week, reaching a combined total of 1.01 billion.