U-K Radio: Weekly Radio Reach At 89 Percent

The numbers are in for Q1 2022 RAJAR and show almost 50m adults in the UK continue to listen to the radio, reports Radio Today.

Commercial radio has recorded a record audience of 37.2m – the first time the number has exceeded 37 million giving it over three million more in total audience than BBC radio.

Global leads the commercial radio market in all measures, with a record-breaking 25.8m weekly listeners, 242m hours and 24% share.

Share of listening time also increased for commercial radio to 48.4%, up from 48% in the previous quarter. While BBC share is still slightly higher, its share of listening fell back quarter on quarter from 49.9% to 49.2%.

Total digital listening is now 67.9% of all radio listening. This is mainly accounted for by DAB at 41.1%, but also online which has grown to a new high of 22.4% on average

Smart speaker listening has been recorded separately for the first time this quarter and can be seen to represent almost half of online listening at nearly 10%

Digital platforms now account for 72% of all commercial radio listening and 65% of all BBC radio listening.

Ashley Tabor-King OBE, Founder & Executive President of Global, said:  “It’s an enormous privilege to have millions of people tuning in to our brands every day in increasing numbers. In these challenging times every single Globaller does their absolute best to bring our listeners news and analysis, relaxation and feel good entertainment as well as the very best hit music. News and nostalgia are fuelling growth and we are here for our audiences every step of the way, constantly looking to innovate and build more of what people love.”