Press Releases BBC Radio listening buoyed by digital growth

Category: Radio
Date: 10.05.2007
Printable version

BBC reach and share at record levels

Record reach for four of five digital-only networks

Moyles achieves record reach of seven million listeners

BBC Radio has its highest-ever reach and share of listening - buoyed by record performance from a number of its digital networks - according to data released today by Rajar (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd).

The figures - covering the period from 1 January to 25 March 2007 - show BBC Radio's reach of 33.46 million is up on both the year (32.57m) and the quarter (32.81m).

Share of listening - at 56.0% - is also up from last year (55.4%) and last quarter (54.4%).

Four of the BBC's five digital-only networks - BBC 6 Music, 1Xtra BBC, BBC 7 and BBC Five Live Sports Extra - posted record reach, with digital networks (excluding World Service) contributing around three million listeners every week to the BBC's reach.

Jenny Abramsky, Director, BBC Audio & Music, said: "The radio industry is in excellent health, as demonstrated by the strong performance of both BBC and commercial radio.

"It is particularly pleasing to see the continued growth of listening via DAB and digital platforms and the record audiences for a number of our digital stations."

BBC Radio 1's reach is up to 10.55 million, from 9.73 million last year and 10.26 million last quarter. Share is up to 10.1%, from 9.1% last year and 9.7% last quarter.

The Chris Moyles Show, Radio 1's breakfast show, has more than seven million listeners (7.06m) for the first time - adding 744,000 listeners since this time last year (6.32m).

BBC Radio 2 has 13.25 million listeners - up on the year (12.94m) and steady on the quarter (13.27m). Share, at 15.8%, is slightly down on the year (16.0%) but the same as last quarter (15.8%).

BBC Radio 3's reach is 1.90 million - slightly down on both quarter (2.03m) and year (2.10m). Share (1.2%) is marginally down on the year (1.3%) and the quarter (1.4%).

BBC Radio 4 has 9.64 million listeners - up on the year (9.29m) and the quarter (9.34m). The station has a record share of listening at 12.2% - up from 11.1% last quarter and 11.7% last year.

BBC Radio Five Live – which records a combined reach with its digital service Five Live Sports Extra – has a reach of 5.97 million, up from 5.92 million last quarter but down on 6.27 million last year. Share is 4.3%, down from 4.5% last quarter and 4.8% last year.

BBC Local and National Radio has a reach of 10.30 million (10.26m last quarter and 10.38m last year) and share of 10.6% (10.4% last quarter and 11.1% last year).

Five Live Sports Extra has 682,000 listeners - a new high for the network, up from 613,000 last year and 650,000 last quarter. Its share is 0.2%, up from 0.1% last year and last quarter.

BBC 6 Music has a record reach of 477,000 - up from last year's 359,000 and 383,000 last quarter, while share is up to 0.3%, from 0.2% last year and last quarter.

BBC 7 has also recorded its highest-ever reach of 808,000 (621,000 last year and 672,000 last quarter), while share is 0.4% - up from 0.3% last year and last quarter.

1Xtra is the fourth digital network with a record reach. It has 465,000 listeners - up on the year (371,000) and the quarter (368,000). Its share (0.2%) is steady on the year (0.2%) and the quarter (0.2%).

The BBC World Service has 1.39 million listeners - up from 1.26 million last quarter and last year. Share is 0.7%, up from 0.6% last year and last quarter.

The BBC Asian Network has 452,000 listeners - up on last year's 427,000 but down on last quarter's 493,000 - while share, at 0.2%, is level with last year (0.2%) but down on last quarter (0.3%).

BBC Radio Publicity

Notes to Editors