Rajar Q1 2016: Round-up

National stations and networks

Global, Bauer and BBC stations continue to reach the greatest number of listeners each week, with a -1.1% drop over the first quarter of the year unable to uproot Total Global Radio from the top spot.

Just under 22.2 million listeners tune in to the network each week, cementing its place as commercial king of the airwaves. Year on year the network was up 4.8%.

Total Bauer Radio portfolio, up 0.9% this quarter, recorded more than 16.6 million, while a small 0.3% increase took BBC Radio 2 to 15.5 million. Both were up year on year.

Elsewhere, BBC Radio 4 (including 4 Extra), was down -3.4% and BBC Radio 1 was down -4.1%. The stations still reach 10.6 million and 9.9 million, respectively, making them two of the best performing in the UK.

It was less good news for Classic FM, which recorded a -7.2% decline over the quarter, shedding 400,000 listeners. The station was down -7.3% over the year.

Bauer’s Kerrang also took a tumble this quarter, down -9.5% to 797,000 weekly listeners, while the Hits, also owned by Bauer, was down 14.7% to 693,000.

Click here for the full breakdown.

Digital

For the first time, digital listening in the home has moved past the halfway mark.

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).

Click here for the full breakdown.

Breakfast

National

BBC Radio 3’s breakfast slot has cause for celebration this quarter after a 28.1% increase in average weekly listeners – taking its total to 689,000. The station was also up 7% year on year.

After winning Breakfast Show of the Year at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards this week, Absolute Radio also did well in Q1 2016, with a 7.3% quarterly increase – alongside impressive yearly growth of 24.6% – taking its total weekly listeners to 1.13 million.

After a modest 3.1% quarter on quarter increase, Chris Evans’ ever-popular breakfast slot now boasts a weekly audience of more than 9.7 million – almost 3 million more than the next most-popular national breakfast station, BBC Radio 4 (-3.8% QoQ).

Not such good news for Nick Grimshaw and his BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, however, as 7.4% of listeners tuned out in the first quarter of the year. Meanwhile, Radio Five Live’s audience decreased by -1.3%.

It was Classic FM that fared worst of all though, down -16.7% QoQ and -14.2% YoY. talkSPORT’s yearly figures also decreased significantly (-16.6%).

Radio X Network is a new addition to the Rajar national breakfast stations and so is yet to have any comparable data.

London

While a number of London breakfast stations recorded hefty quarterly declines in Q1 2016, the yearly figures paint a much brighter picture for the UK radio market.

A number of Global stations seemed to buck the trend, however, with Capital London and LBC London News both reporting impressive quarterly and yearly increases.

After a 7.8% QoQ and 33.5% yearly increase, Capital London secured its position as the most popular national breakfast station with almost 1.2 million weekly listeners; while LBC London News was up an even bigger 28.6% QoQ and 41.1% YoY.

Meanwhile, Bauer’s Kiss (London) overtook the group’s Magic station to become the second most-listened to breakfast show with 852,000 tuning in each week, following Magic’s -21% decrease in weekly listeners over the period.

While the main LBC station was down -11.4% compared with the previous quarter, it was up 12.6% over the year and is now the fourth most popular London breakfast station after Global’s Heart recorded a -17.5% decline and slid to fifth place.

Chris Moyles’ second quarter of manning Radio X London’s breakfast slot saw a -43.3% decrease in weekly listeners compared with the final quarter of 2015; however, it was up 44.1% on last year’s figures.

Similarly, Smooth Radio (London) was down -20.8% quarter on quarter but up 11.7% year on year, Capital XTRA down -9.4% QoQ while up 177.8% YoY (likely due to a time-slot change), and Gold London down -11.5% QoQ but up 12% YoY.