The RAJAR radio listening figures for the second quarter (April 6 to June 28) have landed. Read on for key findings from Q2 across the broadcast groups…
BBC RADIO
The BBC had a fairly quiet quarter in terms of ratings for what was actually a tumultuous period with difficult headlines for the corporation following the sacking of Radio 2 Scott Mills in late March.
However, there was almost no impact on the Radio 2 breakfast ratings (6.37 million, a drop of 1% on the prior quarter) as guest presenters stood in for three months – ironic, perhaps, considering Mills was the highest paid BBC star in the last financial year. The network will be hoping to see an uplift in Q3 following Sara Cox taking over last month.
BBC Radio 2 remains the nation’s most popular station with weekly listeners down just 2% year-on-year at 12.37m.
Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “I’m delighted that Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular single radio station in the UK, with a rock solid audience of 12.4m listeners. People are tuning in for over 11 hours each week, which is almost a four-year high.
“Congratulations to Vernon Kay, who hosts the UK’s most listened to radio show with a weekly audience of 6.8m, his highest figure since 2024. Our 65-plus audience has also risen to a five-year high, and I’d also like to congratulate Tony Blackburn, Radio 2’s very own national treasure, whose Sunday evening Golden Hour recorded its highest audience figure since 2021.”
I’m delighted that Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular single radio station in the UK
Helen Thomas
The BBC is also learning from commercial revivals with the launch of brand extensions, which have enabled certain broadcasters to boast about outperforming BBC networks when combining every station using a brand name.
BBC Radio 1’s brand has a healthy RAJAR rating of 7.55m (a unique total that avoids double counting across the stations) thanks to the contribution of recent launches Radio 1 Anthems (584,000) and Radio 1 Dance (615,000), which went live on DAB+ last autumn. However, the main Radio 1 network was down 8% year-on-year to 6.9m. Greg James’ ratings at breakfast were more stable at 3.76m (down 2% year-on-year).
Aled Haydn Jones, head of BBC Radio 1, said: “It’s fantastic to see even more people listening to Radio 1 with Radio 1 Dance and Radio 1 Anthems delivering the biggest tracks across the UK. I’m also incredibly proud of Greg James, who continues to be the UK’s number one breakfast show for young audiences, when he’s not at Taylor Swift’s wedding.”
BBC Radio 1 Xtra had a stronger three months with ratings up 6% year-on-year (769,000) – the identical increase to Asian Network (548,000). The 1Xtra ratings result follows a Music Week Awards win for Remi Burgz.
BBC Radio 6 Music – also Music Week Awards winners – had a stable quarter at 2.59m (unchanged from a year ago). As you’d expect with those numbers, it continues to be the most popular digital station.
The 6 Music Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw reached 1.29 million listeners, up 3% year-on-year and 2% quarter on quarter.
Elsewhere, BBC Radio 3 was down 3% year-on-year at 1.88m (but watch out for a potential Proms boost in the next quarter) while Radio 3 Unwind was up slightly to 408,000 in its second quarter since launch.
GLOBAL
In its Q2 RAJAR figures, Global again emerged as the biggest commercial group reaching 29m weekly listeners, delivering 283m listening hours and a 27.5% share.
It also claims the top three commercial radio brands with Heart, Capital and Smooth. In London, Global has the top three commercial stations for reach, share and hours with Heart, Capital and LBC.
Once again, Global is billing Heart as the UK’s biggest radio brand and bigger than Radio 2 (12.8 m vs 12.4m), although it’s not comparing like with like as the Heart figure includes multiple stations.
The main Heart network was down 3% year-on-year in Q2 to 9.38m. Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden has 4.2m weekly listeners (down 1% year-on-year) and retains its crown as the UK’s biggest commercial breakfast show.
Global also noted that the Capital brand’s 8.9m weekly listeners is ahead of the BBC Radio 1 brand by more than 1.3 million weekly listeners. But the main Capital network was down 7% year-on-year to 6.51m – 400,000 fewer listeners than Radio 1. Capital Breakfast with Jordan, Chris and Siân has 2.75m weekly listeners, a slight decrease year-on-year.
Radio X reaches 2.41m listeners every week across its various brand extensions, with the main station fairly consistent at 1.9m (down 2% year-on-year).
Meanwhile, Classic FM remains the UK’s most popular classical music brand albeit with ratings off 3% year-on-year to 4.29m listeners for the main station.
Brand extension stations have also contributed to Global’s growth, including record numbers for Heart 00s (1.1m), Capital Anthems (735,000), Smooth 80s (754,000) and Smooth Country (501,000).
Simon Pitts, group CEO at Global, said: “Radio is delivering record audiences, with commercial radio thriving and I’m delighted to see Global leading the way. The latest set of RAJAR results underscores the strength of our radio brands and I’m especially proud to see LBC reach another record audience, Classic FM deliver strong growth, and Heart take the top spot as the UK’s biggest radio brand. Thank you to every Globaller behind these figures, and to the millions of listeners who choose Global every day.”
James Rea, chief content officer at Global, said: “We’re always delighted to see our brands deliver record numbers but we never lose sight of the overall power of radio to reach so many people, and to be such an important part of their daily lives. From Heart securing an exclusive interview with Prince William to LBC achieving its biggest results ever, it shows how powerful great content is at connecting with audiences. I’m so proud of our amazing teams at Global.”
BAUER MEDIA AUDIO UK
Bauer Media Audio UK had 22.7m listeners each week across its portfolio of owned and partner stations.
Following a rebrand with a nod to its pirate station origins, KISS has seen a major ratings revival – up 32% year-on-year to 1.75m – although that follows a period of decline and the revival had started last year. At KISS Breakfast, Tyler West and Chloe Burrows (pictured) have increased ratings 40% year-on-year to 668,000.
Spin-off station Kisstory remains bigger than its parent network at 2.03m (up 3% year-on-year) and is still on top as the No.1 commercial digital station.
Bauer Media Audio UK noted that key brands Absolute Radio, Greatest Hits Radio and Magic Radio all posted growth this quarter, while all five of Bauer Media’s flagship drivetime shows increased their audience.
Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio continues as the nation’s most listened to commercial radio show, although Bauer did not provide ratings.
Having invested in a bold new identity for KISS, it’s great to see continued momentum as audiences enjoy its refreshed line-up
Simon Myciunka
Meanwhile, the Hits Radio Portfolio – made up of Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio – reached 12.2m listeners and 14.3m when partner stations are included.
The Greatest Hits Radio Network grew its weekly audience this quarter to 6.86m (down 5% year-on-year), with the network's spin-off decades stations, 60s, 70s and 80s, reaching 1.4m listeners between them.
The Hits Radio Network now reaches 6.54m listeners (down 6% year-on-year), with Hits Radio 90s (428,000) and Hits Radio 00s (377,000) up 48% and 50% year-on-year respectively.
The Absolute Radio Network was down slightly year-on-year to 5.4m listeners, while the main station was off by 6% at 2.02m. Absolute 80s grew to 1.5m listeners (up 6% year-on-year) and Absolute Radio 00s was up 14% year-on-year to a new all-time high of 510,000.
It was a mixed quarter for the rock stations with Kerrang! up 17% year-on-year to 615,000 but Planet Rock down 4% to 1.09m.
Simon Myciunka, Bauer Media’s president of audio and CEO for Bauer Media Audio UK, said: "These figures prove the strength and breadth of our portfolio. Having invested in a bold new identity for KISS, it’s great to see continued momentum as audiences enjoy its refreshed line-up. The media market is more turbulent than ever, yet despite the carousel of new platforms, consumers consistently turn to audio. The nation doesn’t just trust radio, it has a deep connection to it, as demonstrated by radio’s biggest ever audience and our fantastic results.”
Gary Stein, director of audio at Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “After a long hot summer, this is a scorching result for KISS and a brilliant reflection of the energy Tyler and Chloe have brought to Breakfast. They’ve made the show feel fresh, fun and genuinely connected to younger audiences. Greatest Hits Radio has also grown this quarter and, with Zoe Ball joining the line-up in September, is entering another exciting chapter.”
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