Rajar Q4 2015: Round-up

National stations and networks

Global, Bauer and BBC stations continue to reach the greatest number of listeners on a weekly basis, with a 1.7% increase over the quarter seeing Total Global Radio (which now includes Capital Liverpool) close in on the 22.5 million mark.

Despite a -1.5% decline in weekly reach over the period, the total Bauer Radio portfolio still managed an impressive 16.5 million, while a small 0.5% increase took BBC Radio 2 to 15.5 million.

Following the arrival of Chris Moyles in September (and a rebrand from XFM), Global’s Radio X recorded the greatest quarterly increase in weekly reach, up 16.8% to 1.2 million, while also reporting an impressive 30.2% rise over the year. (The reported figures for the six month period are a combination of both Radio X and XFM).

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Digital

More than 48 million adults (aged 15+) tuned into their selected radio stations each week in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the latest figures from Rajar – up by 386,000 year on year.

30 million people (56%) now tune in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver – DAB, television or online – each week, with the share of all radio listening via a digital platform now standing at 41.7%, up from 37.9% for the corresponding period last year.

The share of listening to DAB has increased by 9% year on year to 27.7% of all listening (25.2% in Q4, 2014).

Digital listening in an average week now stands at 423 million hours, down slightly from the 433 million recorded last quarter. DAB radio is the most popular device, accounting for 66% of all digital hours (28% of total hours), while listening via TV currently represents 12% (5% of total hours) and listening online 16% (7% of total hours).

Click here for the full breakdown.

Breakfast

National

The wintry months provided a mixed bag of results for national breakfast stations, with the festive season likely responsible for a few boosts – and drops – in listenership.

Up 7.5% compared with the previous quarter, and 14.4% year on year, Classic FM had one of the best-performing breakfast slots with almost 1.8 million tuning in each week for their early morning dose of relaxing and rousing classical favourites.

A 19.2% QoQ and 29.6% YoY increase in weekly listeners also gave Absolute Radio cause for celebration as it broke through the 1 million mark, up from 815,000 the previous year.

BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans breakfast show remains a clear favourite with 9.4 million listeners , whilst BBC Radio 4 enjoyed a 4% increase in weekly listeners over the quarter and 3.8% over the year, seeing it surpass the 7 million mark.

Meanwhile, BBC 1’s Nick Grimshaw can breathe a sigh of relief as his show crept up 1.6% over the quarter.

BBC Radio Five Live was also up over the quarter and the year, with a 3.1% boost resulting in 2.3 million listeners tuning in each week.

Not such good news for rival talkSPORT, however, which was down -7.2% compared with Q3, losing 100,000 listeners.

Elsewhere, Bauer’s Magic Network was down -5% QoQ, while BBC Radio 3 was down -0.2% QoQ and -6.1% YoY.

London

There are some huge success stories to report from London breakfast slots, with almost all stations recording an increase in weekly listeners.

Global stations saw some of the biggest boosts over the quarter, with Heart London up 44.2%, Radio X London up 38.9% after the arrival of Chris Moyles in September, LBC London News up 22% and Gold London up 20.3%. LBC London News was also up a massive 106.4% year on year.

The group’s Capital London also remains the most popular London breakfast show, with a 10.2% quarterly rise seeing more than a million listeners tuning in each week in Q4.

Bauer stations also performed well, with a 21.3% QoQ increase securing Magic’s position as the second most-listened to London breakfast station, followed by Kiss – up 15.5%.

Similarly, Real and Smooth’s Smooth Radio was up a solid 28.3% compared with Q3.

BBC London was one of the only stations to record a drop in weekly listeners, down -1.9% QoQ to 208,000, while Sunrise Radio, which is due to go nationwide at the end of the month, was down a much more significant -41.3%.

Presumably a result of the arrival of Christmas and with it Christmas carols, Premier Christian Radio’s weekly listenership more than doubled over the quarter, up from 37,000 in Q3 to 93,000 in Q4.

Newly-reporting group Lyca Media saw its flagship radio station, Lyca Radio, jump in with 119,000 weekly listeners following a 183.3% QoQ increase, while its Dilse station was up 14.3% QoQ – although down -31.4% YoY.