Rajar Q4 2014: Round-up

National stations and networks

Total Global Radio (UK) maintained its dominance over the national and networks with 21.2 million listeners on average. Although the network saw very little change over the quarter (-0.2%), it was up a healthy 6.2% year on year.

Despite Global Heart Network (UK) also recording a quarterly decline (-0.4%), the station increased its weekly reach by an enormous 23.8% compared with the previous year, taking its weekly reach to 9.4 million. This was due to Real stations changing to Heart.

Global’s Classic FM also did well, with a 7.1% quarter on quarter increase helping the station average a little under 5.6 million weekly listeners. Global’s LBC Network (UK), which famously saw James O’Brien take down Nigel Farage on LBC Radio last year, also celebrated a modest increase over the quarter, up 3.4%.

Bauer Radio (including Orion) maintained the second spot with a weekly reach of almost 17 million, while Bauer Radio’s total portfolio, in third place, secured a little over 16 million following an 11.3% year on year boost.

There was little change to BBC stations over the quarter, with Radio 2 up 1.8%, Radio 4 (including 4 Extra) up 1.3% and Radio 1 down -1.1%; however, the majority of BBC stations were down over the year.

However, BBC’s Radio 6 Music, the largest digital-only station, celebrated both quarterly and yearly gains, with reach up 4.5% in Q4 to take its weekly reach to over 2 million listeners.

With less sport to cover over the winter months, BBC Radio 5 Live (including sports extra) was down -6.9% quarter on quarter and -12.6% year on year, while talkSPORT was down -4.5% compared with Q3.

Not such great news for BBC Radio 5 live sports extra on its own, however, which was down a huge -46% quarter on quarter and -26.1% year on year.

Elsewhere, Bauer’s Kiss Network is a new combined entry for Rajar, replacing the Kiss UK brand whilst adding Kerrang! and Heat to its weekly reach figures. The combination sees the network kick off with a reach of more than 6.1 million weekly listeners – 1.3 million more than the previous incarnation Kiss UK.

Click here for the full breakdown.

Digital

The shift in radio listening towards digital continued in Q4 2014, according to the latest Rajar results.

Digital listening grew 6% year on year to 37.9% of all listening with a strong performance from the DAB platform, which now accounts for over a quarter of all radio listening for the first time.

On average a listener tunes in to 21.3 hours of radio per week, with listening to radio via a digital platform – in terms of weekly reach – exceeding over half of the UK population.

27.8 million people now tune in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver (DAB, DTV, Online) each week.

Digital listening hours remain high for Q4 2014 with 385 million hours being listened to in an average week.

DAB radio is still the most popular device when it comes to listening digitally, accounting for 67% of all digital hours and up 6% year on year. Listening via a digital television represents 12% (down 11% year on year) and listening online represents 16% (up 5%) of all digital listening hours.

Click here for the full breakdown.

Breakfast

National

The latest Rajar results for the fourth quarter of 2014 reveal only a few breakfast shows recorded growth over the end of the year, while most were down on the same period in 2013.

Chris Evans’ breakfast slot continued to dominate the nationals, and put in a better performance than Q3, upping its weekly reach by 3.2% over the period – an uplift of 297,000 listeners.

However, the show was down -2.2% year on year, but still draws in a whopping 9.6 million listeners each week.

The more sober wake-up call from BBC Radio 4 was up just 1.1% in Q4, whilst recording a -5.2% decline over the last year. Maintaining its second place ranking, the station draws in almost 6.8 million listeners each week.

In third place was BBC Radio 1, with Nick Grimshaw securing 5.9 million weekly listeners.

BBC One’s breakfast show has been a focus of attention since Grimshaw took over from Chris Moyles in 2012, but things do seem reasonably steady. The slot was up 1.4% on Q3, although, over the last year, has witnessed at -6.2% decline.

However, with audience figures several million above the next most popular station – BBC Radio Five Live – the Mancunian motor mouth probably has little to worry about.

In fact, it was Five Live that has put in the worst performance – most likely due to the absence of sport over the festive period – with a -15.3% drop in weekly reach in Q4.

The station shed 403,000 listeners in the final quarter, and saw an identical -15.3% drop year on year.

After a strong performance in Q3, Absolute Radio Network was also down -8.1%, losing 142,000 weekly listeners. However, year on year, the network was up a healthy 12.5% – the best performance in the breakfast market.

Elsewhere, talkSPORT and Classic FM both reported both quarterly and yearly declines, whilst BBC Radio 3 was up 4.6% quarter on quarter, and 5.7% year on year.

London

After an unwelcome decline in listeners in the third quarter, Global’s Capital London saw another – but less severe – decline in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Down -6.6%, the downward trend means the station, despite hanging on to the number one ranking, has dropped below the one million mark. The station now helps 941,000 Londoners wake up each morning – 67,000 fewer than Q3.

Maintaining its second place, Bauer’s Magic (London) fared well, with growth of 13.2% over the period and a 7.9% increase year on year. The station has a weekly reach of 884,000 listeners.

In third place was Kiss (London), up a huge 26.4% in Q4, and up 5.7% year on year, while LBC 97.3 matched its third place rival with a 26.6% Q4 increase – but is still 161,000 listeners behind its third-place rival.

It was a strong quarter for Heart London FM after a bad dip in Q3. The station was up almost 30% to add an extra 155,000 listeners each week. Year on year, the station was up 11.6%.

Less fortunate news for Absolute Radio Network, which recorded a -15% decline in Q4, dropping 87,000 listeners. Year on year, the station was up just 1%.