Total digital radio listening increased 4% from last quarter to encompass over two-thirds (68%) of all radio listening, according to the latest Rajar figures for Q1 2022.
Most listening occurs through DAB (41%), but online listening has grown to a high of 22% on average. In addition, digital TV made up 4% of all listening time.
This wave of Rajar data is also importantly the first to report details on listening via smart speakers like Apple’s HomePod and Amazon’s Echo. Almost half of online listening occurs through smart speakers, which is 10% of all listening time.
Nearly a third (32%) of adults are also choosing to listen to radio on mobile phones or tablets and 42 million adults have access to a DAB receiver.
Meanwhile, analogue platforms of FM/AM still account for 32% of listening time – a slight decrease from the 35.6% figure last quarter.
The latest figures also found all radio reached 89% of the UK population on a weekly basis, the same as last quarter.
| AM/FM | All Digital | – DAB | – DTV | – Total Online | – Website / Apps | – Smart Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Shares (%) | |||||||
| Q4 2021 | 35.6 | 64.4 | 42.5 | 5.1 | 16.9 | n/a | n/a |
| Q1 2022 | 32.1 | 67.9 | 41.1 | 4.5 | 22.4 | 12.4 | 9.9 |
| Digital Listening Weekly Reach (%) | |||||||
| Q4 2021 | n/a | 71.7 | 58.4 | 12.3 | 30.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Q1 2022 | n/a | 75.4 | 59.6 | 11.9 | 38.1 | 27.1 | 15.7 |
| Digital Listening Total Hours (m) | |||||||
| Q4 2021 | n/a | 647 | 427 | 51 | 170 | n/a | n/a |
| Q1 2022 | n/a | 688 | 416 | 45 | 227 | 126 | 101 |
Source: Rajar
