Commercial radio market share rises to highest level in 20 years
Commercial radio stations continued to attract large audiences during the third quarter, growing their share of listening hours to a 20-year high.
A total of 35.9m people tuned in to commercial radio in the UK, up from 35.8m in the same period last year, according to figures released today.
Read more: Global launches 24-hour rolling news radio station LBC News
While the audience numbers were slightly below the record-breaking 36.1m reached in the second quarter, commercial radio continued to gain ground on the BBC.
The overall share of listening hours for commercial stations was 48.1 per cent, an increase of more than five per cent year-on-year and the highest level in two decades.
The latest figures, published by industry body Rajar, underline a continued period of strong performance for UK radio stations.
The emergence of new listening methods such as smart speakers has helped drive the popularity of the traditional radio format, with 13 per cent of audiences now tuning in online or through an app.
Meanwhile, digital radio continued its steady rise, boosting its overall share of listening to just under 57 per cent.
“With radio continuing to hold the nation’s attention against increasing competition in the news and entertainment sectors, it’s great that commercial radio continues to grow audience,” said Siobhan Kenny, chief executive of Radiocentre, which co-owns Rajar with the BBC.
“This is down to the variety of stations and programming on offer, as well as investment in listening in the digital era. It’s a good time for listeners – and a good time for advertisers to look at what radio can do for their brands.”
Read more: Commercial radio listening hits record level as online audience grows
Global retained its title as the leading radio company for audience numbers, taking a record 24 per cent share of the overall market.
The success was driven by the growing popularity of talk radio station LBC, which pulled in 2.6m weekly listeners over the quarter. Global will next week launch LBC News, a 24-hour rolling news station, as it looks to cash in on growing audiences.
Rival radio group Bauer, which owns Absolute, Magic and Kiss, also grew its audience over the quarter, reaching a record 18.4m listeners.
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