The Media in Figures: Radio listening, UK-wide

ACCORDING to the radio listening auditing body, RAJAR, on average, 89 per cent of the UK population tune into radio each week.

And that, on average, a listener tunes into 21.6 hours of radio per week, with the share of all radio listening to any digital platform being 41.9 per cent.

Among other findings, 29 million adults have access to a DAB receiver – up ten per cent, year-on-year – and that listening online reaches 71 million hours per week – up nine per cent, year-on-year.

Not only that, but 26 per cent of adults listen to radio via their mobile phone or tablet at least once per month – up 21 per cent, year-on-year.

In more detail…

* 47.8 million adults or 89 per cent of the adult (15+) UK population tuned in to their selected radio stations in the third quarter of 2015. This is up by approximately 230,000 adults on the same quarter of the previous year (Q3, 2014). The total number of hours listened to radio is 1.03 billion.

* Digital listening hours for Q3 2015 have increased by 12 per cent, year-on-year, to 433 million hours being listened to every week.

* DAB radio is still the most popular device when it comes to listening to digital radio, accounting for 66 per cent of all digital listening hours.

* Listening via DTV (digital television) represents 12 per cent and listening online 16 per cent of all digital listening hours.

* DAB hours are 286 million, online hours are 71 million and DTV hours are 52 million.

* The share of all radio listening via a digital platform now stands at 41.9 per cent, up from 37.8 per cent in the corresponding period last year (c.f Q3 2014). The share of listening to DAB has increased by 14 per cent, year-on-year, to 27.7 per cent of all listening (24.5 per cent in Q3 2014).

* The share of all listening via DTV has remained the same year-on-year, with a five per cent share of all listening hours. Online share of all radio listening has seen a significant increase from 6.4 per cent in Q3 2014 to 6.9 per cent in this quarter.

* Ownership of a DAB receiver is up ten per cent, year-on-year, and currently 54 per cent of the population, or 28.8 million adults (aged 15+), claim to live in a household with access to a DAB set (c.f. 26.1 million adults in Q3, 2014).

* 26 per cent of adults 15+ (please note, this data is collected via an alternative methodology as of Q3 2015) claim to listen to the radio via a mobile phone or tablet at least once per month. This is up 21 per cent, year-on-year. 41 per cent of 15-24 year-olds claim to listen to the radio via a mobile phone or tablet at least once per month.

Source: RAJAR, October 29 2015.