What are the most popular radio stations in the UK following the release of current audience figures from RAJAR.

Recent statistics from Rajar show What are the most popular radio stations in the UK . The audience measurement organisation, highlights smart speaker listening experienced a slight decrease from 14.4% to 13.8% quarter over quarter. However, the weekly reach of smart speakers increased slightly from 23.1% to 23.3% during the same period. Digital sources constituted 70.3% of all listening, with DAB (42.3%) and internet (24.2%) being the primary contributors.

In comparison to BBC Radio’s 19.1% share of online listening, commercial radio achieved a 28.2% share.

Combined, all BBC radio stations commanded a 43.8% share, up from 43.2% in the previous quarter but down from 46.7% in the previous year.

BBC Radio 1 maintained its audience with approximately 7.7 million listeners. Greg James attracted slightly less than 4 million.

BBC Radio 2 managed to retain its position as the largest radio station in the UK with 13.4 million listeners, despite losing a million listeners. Vernon Kay had the most listened UK radio show, with 6.9 million listeners, while Zoe Ball, the most popular breakfast show in the UK, with 6.5 million listeners.

What are the most popular radio stations in the UK during breakfast ?

BBC Stations Dominate National Radio Landscape

BBC radio stations maintained their dominance in the national radio landscape, occupying the top three positions in terms of weekly listener reach. BBC Radio 2 remained the most popular station, with 6.5 million weekly listeners. However, its audience experienced a decline of 11.6% compared to the previous year.

The most popular radio stations in the UK Gain Ground : Greatest Hits Radio

Several Greatest Hits Radio stations witnessed a surge in listenership, with over 50 stations recording an increase and only 11 stations experiencing a decline. The “Greatest Hits at Breakfast with Rossie,” hosted by Simon Ross, achieved a remarkable 17.4% growth quarter over quarter, attracting 2.7 million weekly listeners. Ken Bruce’s Greatest Hits Radio show in the mid-morning segment drew 3.7 million weekly listeners in the last quarter, representing a staggering 124% increase from the previous year. Bruce joined the Bauer station after a 31-year tenure at the BBC, making this quarter the first comprehensive reporting period for the show’s weekly audience reach.

The most popular radio stations in the UK Experiencing Growth : Radio Exe and GB News Radio

The Rajar industry association reported that Radio Exe’s listener numbers more than doubled in the last 12 months, with an estimated 84,000 adults visiting the station every quarter. GB News Radio experienced a significant quarterly increase in weekly audience reach for its breakfast slot, with a 22.6% growth, reaching 163,000 weekly listeners.

The most popular radio stations in the UK that reach a Million Listeners : Smooth London and Smooth North

The Smooth Radio network saw two of its stations, Smooth London and Smooth North, achieve a listener base of one million.

The most popular radio stations in the UK to Lead Commercial Breakfast Programs : Heart Continues

Among commercial breakfast programs, Global’s Heart remained the most popular, recording 3.8 million weekly listeners for “Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden,” marking a slight increase of 1.3% from the previous quarter.

The radio stations in the UK Experiencing Decline : Capital Breakfast

Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp saw a 2% decline in weekly listeners, falling to 2.5 million.

The most popular Commercial radio stations in London

Based on Reach’s latest data, the top five commercial radio stations in London are as follows:

1. Heart – 2 million listeners
2. Capital – 1.8 million listeners
3. Magic – 1.5 million listeners
4. LBC – 1.3 million listeners
5. Greatest Hits – 1.1 million listeners

Boom Radio and Lyca Radio’s Contrasting Fortunes

Boom Radio experienced a notable increase in its listener base, adding 21,000 listeners from 641,000 to 662,000, marking its highest audience to date.

In contrast, Lyca Radio, a dominant player in the Asian commercial radio market for over 30 years, experienced a decline in listenership, bringing it closer to its rival, Sunrise Radio. The gap between the two stations is now just 8,000 listeners.

Further reports from the current rajar figures:

https://www.rajar.co.uk/

https://global.com/global-news/globalrajarq3-23/

pressgazette.co.uk

https://onaudio.mattdeegan.com/p/rajar-q32023

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2453891/rajar-q3-2023

Author: Talking Newspapers, Audio, Podcasts and Radio