The latest Rajar figures show that in Q4 2024, radio in the United Kingdom reached 50 million weekly listeners, representing 87% of the adult population. Total listening hours stood at 1.033 billion, with digital platforms accounting for 72% of listening. DAB remained dominant at 59%, followed by smart speakers (22%), websites/apps (15%) and DTV (4%).
Global performance
Global remained the U.K.’s largest commercial radio group, reporting a weekly audience of 29.2 million listeners, increasing both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. The group held a 26.9% market share, with 279 million total listening hours across its brands.
- Heart remained the U.K.’s most popular commercial radio brand, reaching 13.3 million weekly listeners, an increase of 1.8 million in the past year. Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden attracted 4.2 million listeners. The Heart Decade stations continued to grow, with Heart 80s at 1.9 million, Heart 00s at 1 million and new stations Heart Musicals and Heart Love debuting with 134,000 and 201,000 listeners, respectively.
- Capital reached 9.7 million listeners, adding 1.7 million in the past year. Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Siân Welby increased its audience to 2.9 million, up 482,000 year-on-year. Capital Dance hit a record high of 1.2 million listeners.
- Smooth Radio reported its highest-ever audience figures at 7.8 million, with new stations Smooth 80s (533,000), Smooth 70s (317,000) and Smooth Soul (206,000) expanding its reach.
- Classic FM remained the U.K.’s leading classical music station, reaching 4.6 million weekly listeners. New stations Classic FM Calm and Classic FM Movies debuted with 238,000 and 154,000 listeners, respectively.
- LBC grew to 3.4 million listeners, adding 361,000 in the past year. Nick Ferrari at Breakfast reached a record 1.5 million listeners and remained London’s top commercial breakfast show by hours and share. LBC News, the U.K.’s only rolling news radio station, had 974,000 listeners.
Ashley Tabor-King, founder and executive president of Global, said, “To have a sixth consecutive quarter of growth is frankly incredible and not something we would ever take for granted. Radio really is at the heart of so many people’s lives every day — in the home and on the move.”
The radio sector in the U.K. is going through rapid change with an explosion of new stations
BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore
Mixed results for BBC
BBC radio stations reached 31.7 million weekly listeners, securing a 44.2% share.
- BBC Radio 1 recorded a 2.8% year-on-year increase to 7.54 million listeners, though it was down nearly 8% from the previous quarter. The Greg James Breakfast Show grew its audience to 4.1 million, adding almost 200,000 listeners in the past year.
- BBC Radio 2 remained the U.K.’s most listened-to station, reaching 13.65 million weekly listeners, a 2.7% year-on-year increase. Vernon Kay’s mid-morning show continued to grow, now attracting 7.2 million listeners, making it the most listened-to program on U.K. radio. In her final months as host, Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show reached 6.8 million, up 250,000 from a year ago. Scott Mills took over the slot last month.
- BBC Radio 3 recorded a 10% year-on-year increase to 1.95 million listeners, slightly down on the quarter, possibly due to the Radio 3 Unwind digital stream launch on BBC Sounds.
- BBC Radio 6 Music remained the U.K.’s most listened-to digital station, attracting 2.78 million listeners.
- BBC Asian Network grew 29.2% year-on-year to 579,000 listeners, though it declined from the previous quarter.
- BBC Sounds reported record engagement, with 644 million plays of all content — including radio, podcasts and music mixes — between October and December 2024. On-demand radio and podcast plays also hit a record 253 million, though these figures are not part of RAJAR.
BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said, “The radio sector in the U.K. is going through rapid change with an explosion of new stations, and I’m delighted that Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, with their incredible presenters, expert music teams and unrivaled live content are proving so popular with audiences. We know that people’s listening habits and expectations are shifting to suit their moods and interests. More so than ever, it’s paramount that we continue to innovate and give license fee payers more choice from the BBC across our distinctive music extensions, on-demand radio and world-class podcasts.”
Bauer Media Audio UK
Bauer Media Audio UK reported a weekly audience of 23.4 million, a 0.7% increase year-on-year, contributing to commercial radio’s total reach of 40 million.
- The Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio portfolios grew to 15.4 million listeners when including partner stations. The Hits Radio Network audience rose to 7.2 million (+13.2% YoY), while Hits Radio’s national reach saw a sharp rise to 4.7 million (+228% YoY). Greatest Hits Radio remained the most listened-to commercial station, with 7.4 million listeners.
- Absolute Radio Network reached 5.6 million listeners (+6.1% YoY). Absolute Radio Country recorded 610,000 weekly listeners (+49.9% YoY), while Absolute Radio 90s hit 1 million (+8.6% YoY).
- The Magic Radio Network maintained 3.5 million listeners. Magic at the Musicals set a new high of 298,000.
- The KISS Network recorded 3.8 million listeners, with KISSTORY retaining its position as the most listened-to digital-only commercial station. New stations KISS Dance and KISSTORY R&B debuted with 720,000 and 530,000 listeners, respectively.
A third of Bauer’s listening was via connected devices, with 54% on DAB. The company has continued to hold three of the top five digital commercial stations: KISSTORY, Absolute Radio, and Absolute 80s.
Bauer Media Audio U.K. CEO Simon Myciunka said, “These results demonstrate the strength of our brands and the connection we have with audiences across the U.K.”
Image: Freepik
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