DIGITAL RADIO UK PRESS RELEASE: LISTENERS GO DIGITAL IN RECORD NUMBERS

Digital radio listening hours now account for 34.3% of all radio listening, up 17% year on year. Twenty-six million people, or 50% of the population, now tune in to digital radio each week, up 2.6 million year on year. DAB now accounts for a record 22.5% of all radio listening, up 15%. Online/apps now represent 5.0% of all listening, up 24% year on year, with more listening hours than DTV for the first time. Analogue share of listening in the UK is now at its lowest ever, at 60.5% of listening hours, and in London, analogue listening is now down to 54%. Record reach for digital-only stations, and continued growth in digital listening for all stations on digital

Digital radio listening now represents 34.3% of radio listening hours, up 17% year on year, according to the latest RAJAR data issued today. In total 26 million people now listen to radio via a digital platform each week, up 11% year on year from 23.5 million in Q1 2012. Weekly digital reach is now 50% of UK adults, or 55% of radio listeners.
Significantly, the share of analogue listening in the UK is now at its lowest ever, at 60% of listening hours, and in London, analogue listening is now down to a new low of 54%.
DAB maintains its strong growth as the dominant digital platform representing a record 22.5% of all radio listening hours, up from 19.1% in Q1 2012. On a weekly basis, DAB now reaches 16.8 million UK adults, up 12% from 15 million in Q1 2012. DAB listening hours have reached a record 233 million, up 15% year on year, representing 66% of all digital listening hours.
44.3% of the population now has a DAB digital radio set, up from 42.6% in Q1 2012. This equates to 23 million adults now having a DAB digital radio.
This new data also shows that 8.3% of listening in car is now digital. This coincides with new Q1 2013 CAP/SMMT data which shows that 35.4% of new cars now have digital radio as standard.
More hours of radio listening are now via online/apps than DTV for the first time (52 million hours online/apps vs. 51 million to DTV). Share of radio listening online and via apps on mobile devices grew by 24% year on year to 5.0% of listening hours, from audiences listening to Radioplayer, BBC Radio iPlayer and station apps. Share of DTV listening is also at 5.0%, up 9% year on year.
Digital-only stations continued to show strong listening growth with 25% of digital listening hours now to digital-only stations. Record numbers of listeners are recorded for stations including Absolute Radio 80s (c.1 million) and Smooth UK (over 1 million). Digital-only stations also show good growth in DAB hours, including BBC Radio 1 Xtra whose DAB listening hours more than doubled year on year from 902k to 1.86m, and Absolute Radio 80s whose DAB hours are up by two-thirds from 2.37m to 3.95m.
Digital audiences continue to grow to all stations on digital see top 20 below. Capital’s digital audience is up 15.8% year on year, Classic FM’s is up 16%, Radio 2 is up 15.1% and Radio 4 up 14.1% year on year. Radio 3 appears in the top 20 for the first time with a 33.5% increase in its digital audience.
Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, says: ‘Listeners continue to go digital in record numbers: 34.3% of radio listening hours are now digital, with 50% of the population now listening to radio on a digital platform each week. The unstoppable momentum continues, and if this rate of growth is sustained, a digital listening share of 50% would be achieved by the end of 2015.’
TOP 20 STATIONS BY DIGITAL AUDIENCE

Source: RAJAR/ Ipsos – MORI/ RSMB, period ending March 2013, all stations and groups’ results are reported on their specified reporting period and TSA.
About Digital Radio UK
Digital Radio UK works with Government, broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, and a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate digital listening, to enable the expansion of the digital radio platform, and to ensure that industry meets the consumer-led criteria to be achieved for a proposed radio switchover. Digital Radio UK’s Board comprises representatives from the BBC, RadioCentre, Arqiva, Global Radio, Bauer Media, Real and Smooth Ltd. and Absolute Radio, together with Intellect and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.