A Shift in UK Radio Listening: Commercial Radio Dips, BBC Gains Ground

In an interesting turn for UK radio, commercial stations, which recently reached a record-high listening share of 55%, saw a slight dip to 53.3% in Q3. Meanwhile, the BBC made gains, rising from 42.6% to 44.5% - though it still holds a smaller overall market share than commercial radio.

Weekly reach for commercial radio dropped by 0.9% from the previous quarter, coming in at 40.1 million listeners, yet its year-on-year reach remains solid, with an impressive 2.1% increase. These figures show the continuing strength of commercial radio and upward trend in radio ad revenues. It’s an opportunity for brands to harness the power of radio and connect with millions of listeners across broadcast and online platforms.

Global and Bauer’s Growth Highlights

The two leading commercial broadcasters, Global and Bauer, each saw growth in weekly reach compared to last year. Global, which has been especially strong, increased its total reach by 11% to 27.7 million. The success extends across its flagship stations, with Heart, Capital, and Smooth all experiencing significant year-on-year growth rates: 14.6%, 21.2%, and 23.5%, respectively.

Meanwhile, Bauer has shown a more modest 0.5% reach growth (excluding partners), bringing its audience to 22.1 million. But some of Bauer’s networks are surging ahead, notably the Greatest Hits network, which saw weekly reach jump by 13.3% to 7.5 million, and Hits Radio network, which grew by 10.7% to 7.2 million. Within the Hits Radio brand family, Hits Radio UK doubled its weekly reach year-on-year, achieving a remarkable 143.6% growth to reach 4.6 million listeners.

When it comes to total listening share, Global now commands 24.2%, while Bauer has secured a 20.4% slice of the market.

BBC Radio 2 Holds Its Own Among Individual Stations

BBC Radio 2 continues to lead among individual stations, capturing the largest share of listening at 13.5%. However, it did see a slight dip in its weekly reach, which fell by 1.2% year-on-year to 13.3 million. Nonetheless, several other BBC stations had standout performances in Q3 compared to the same time last year. Radio 4 grew its weekly reach by 3.9% to 9.7 million, Radio 1 by 5.2% to 8.2 million, and Radio 5 Live by an impressive 8.3% to 6 million.

All in all, the radio landscape in the UK is evolving. Commercial radio remains the dominant force, yet the BBC’s recent gains highlight its enduring appeal. For advertisers and brands, this growth reflects exciting opportunities to connect with diverse audiences through both traditional broadcasts and digital platforms.