Largest ever audience share is music to the ears for BBC Radio 6
The latest snapshot of British listening preferences to be conducted by radio ratings service Rajar has shown the once extinction threatened station BBC Radio 6 Music is now the most listened to digital-only UK radio station.
In the quarter to December the alternative music channel notched up an average of 2.2m listeners a week, beating the 2.19m figure the quarter previous and the highest audience share for a solely digital station since Rajar began measurements in 1992.
This was enough to see it leapfrog BBC Radio 4 Extra with an equivalent 2.11m listeners but 6 Music still has a way to go to catch up with BBC Radio 2, which boasted a weekly reach of 15.47m listeners, the largest reach of any UK station surveyed.
Helen Boaden, director of BBC radio, remarked: "With its unique range of music and expert presenters, the station continues to grow its loyal listenership.
"It's good to see digital listening to BBC stations in such great health. One of radio's strengths is its convenience and digital devices make listening even easier."
Across the BBC the number of weekly listeners declined slightly from 35.1m to 34.95m over the quarter although audience share actually rose from 53.3 to 53.5 per cent.