Global Radio network attracts a weekly average of 19.25 million listeners according to Q4 RAJAR figures
Global Radio (UK) continues to lead the national and network commercial radio stations in terms of reach, with the network reaching a weekly average of 19.25 million listeners.
The network remains ahead despite a slight decrease of -0.8 per cent compared to last year, and -0.3 per cent compared to the previous quarter. Global Radio posted no change on the last quarter in terms of share with only a 0.6 per cent change on 2011, ending 2012 with 15.7 per cent.
BBC Radio figures showed Radio 2 to be gaining favour on its younger rival Radio 1, gaining close to a million listeners a week. New Radio 1 breakfast DJ Nick Grimshaw lost almost half a million listeners in Q4 2012 since taking over the reins as host in September of last year.
Absolute Radio saw good gains in Q4 increasing its reach year-on-year by 10.8 per cent. Absolute Radio 00s saw the largest percentage increase (38.5 per cent) for year-on-year change in terms of average hours, an increase of 54.3 per cent on the previous quarter, with 5.4 hours per listener each week on average.
Bauer Radio’s Q saw the largest year-on-year decline falling -30.7 per cent, however the station ended the year increasing its reach 21 per cent on Q3 figures.
On the whole the Bauer Group performed well nationwide with strong figures for digital station Kiss and commercial station Magic 105.4FM which was named as the No.1 commercial station in London with 5.9 per cent audience share up 3.5 per cent year-on-year and a 2.4 per cent increase in listening hours.
Bauer’s Metro (Newcastle), Key 103 (Manchester) and Clyde 1 (Glasgow) all performed well in Q4, with Clyde 1’s audience of 624,000 up 12 per cent, a nine year high for the station.
In Scotland Clyde 1’s nearest commercial competitor Real Radio Scotland saw a fall in reach as Clyde 1 grew in popularity, with the average 30 year old spending more hours listening to Clyde 1 than on Facebook.
Real and Smooth Radio Limited posted its highest ever audience figures with 5.85 million listeners across the UK tuning into its national, regional and local stations. Smooth Radio UK recorded almost 3.8 million weekly listeners including its digital station Smooth 70s. Smooth Radio also recorded that almost half (45 per cent) of all listeners are now tuning in via digital radio.
Real Radio UK increased its average weekly listeners by 15,000 since Q3 taking its audience to 2.5 million nationwide. Real Radio Wales also broke the half-a-million mark for the first time with an average of 510,000 listeners per week.
Jazz FM posted good year-on-year average hours growth, with 32.4 per cent and 4.9 hours. The largest reported decline in hours year-on-year was Total Choice (UK) with -16.4 per cent, but this was up by 2.2 per cent on Q3 (4.6 hours).
As reported by The Drum this morning, digital radio listening has grown to 33 per cent, with mobile radio also posted a rise of 28 per cent.