Rajar Q4 2022: BBC arrests decline in audience share vs commercial

The BBC has grown its share against commercial radio after two quarters of decline, according to the latest Rajar radio audience data.

Nonetheless, for a third quarter in a row, commercial radio’s combined share of listening was higher than the BBC’s. Commercial garnered a 50.2% share, slightly down from 50.9% in the previous quarter, while the BBC’s share was 47.1%, marginally up on last quarter’s 46.7% which was its lowest ever level.

Commercial radio reached 38.1 million people each week during the last three months of 2022, 4.9 million more listeners than the BBC, marking a 3.6% increase on Q4 2021 but a 0.3% decline compared to last quarter.

In total, the latest quarterly UK radio audience survey revealed overall UK radio reached 50 million people or 89% of the population a weekly basis. Total online listening share increased 7.2 percentage points year-over-year to 24.1% in Q4 2022 as radio audiences’ working patterns change and smart speakers grow in usage.

Meanwhile, Global’s most popular radio brands Capital and Heart grew audiences during the important breakfast timeslot, having suffered double-digit declines in the previous Rajar quarterly report.

Global has kept the top spot for weekly reach, average hours per listener and share of listening for all commercial radio brands. Heart, Capital, and LBC recorded weekly reach of 24.8 million in the last quarter ending 18 December 2022, which was an increase of 3.6 percentage points quarter-on-quarter and 2.0 percentage points year-on-year.

Global’s share of listening had increased by 0.9 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 23.2%, while Heart kept its spot at the top of the table as the biggest commercial radio brand with 10.9 weekly listeners. Heart also increased hours and share over the same period, the Capital brand reached a combined audience of 7.7 million people, and the LBC brand reaches a combined audience of 3.1 million.

Meanwhile the Bauer Media Audio network, the UK’s second-largest commercial radio company whose brands include Absolute Radio and KISS, registered a weekly reach of 20.0 million listeners.

It also registered the biggest increases in weekly reach out of any station for its main music radio services, the Hits Radio Brand Network and the Greatest Hits Radio Network, which grew their weekly audiences by 20.2 and 31.4 percentage points year-on-year to 10.1 million and 4.4 million respectively.

Bauer’s share of listening was 18.1%, which was mostly flat quarter-on-quarter but an increase of 0.9% year-on-year.

BBC Radio 2 held its position as the largest non-commercial player in terms of weekly reach and share of listening, while BBC Radio 4 (including 4 Extra) netted the highest average hours per listener with 12.1 hours.