Digital Radio Sees Surge In Listening

Digital radio (DAB) listening has overtaken combined listening via digital television (DTV) and through the internet, with total listening hours for digital radio increasing by 165% year on year, according to new figures from RAJAR.

RAJAR reveals that listening to the radio via DTV has risen by 42% over the past year, while the internet has enjoyed an increase of 83% in consumers using the media to access radio.

The results from the survey into listening via platform also found that the number of radio listeners who claim to own a DAB receiver or listen to the radio via DTV or the internet has increased by 25% year on year.

Commenting on the figures, Sally de la Bedoyere, managing director for RAJAR said: “The results show a major shift in radio listening from analogue to digital receivers. Indeed this growing shift can also be seen in data reported by RAJAR just over three weeks ago which revealed that home ownership of DAB sets rose from 4.5% in September 2004 to 10.5% in September 2005. Clearly, this is a trend which is gathering pace as access to digital receivers increases and it is one RAJAR will continue to monitor.”

Ian Dickens, chief executive of the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) continued: “RAJAR’s Platform Survey findings very much match the DRDB’s own research, which shows sales of DAB digital radios more than doubling year-on-year.

He added: “Consumers are delighting in the new, unique content available on DAB stations, both commercial and BBC, and this is translating into rapidly growing listening figures. The DRDB believes this trend will continue and forecasts DAB digital radio set penetration of 40% of UK households by 2009.”

Digital radio is forecast to enjoy strong growth over the next five years, with the DRDB predicting that by the end of 2009 there will be around 20 million digital radio homes in the UK, up from 1.2 million at the end of 2004. This represents a huge fifteen-fold increase, with an expected household penetration of 40% by the end of 2009.

According to electronic industry auditor GfK, the total of DAB products in UK at the beginning of 2004 was 1,272, surpassing the DABs estimates of 1.2 million in its last five year forecast.

RAJAR: 0207 903 5350 www.rajar.co.uk