UK radio reaches a record 51 million listeners a week

UK radio has set a new record for reach. The latest RAJAR survey, for the third quarter of 2026, puts total weekly listening at 51 million people, up 2% on a year earlier.

Online listening made up 30.8% of all listening, against 29.7% in Q3 2025. AM/FM accounted for 23.6%. Smart speakers carried 18.7% of all radio listening. Radiocentre chief executive Matt Payton said: "Radio's record-breaking reach proves that audio remains an essential part of daily life for millions of people across the UK."

BBC

The BBC's combined market share slipped from 42.6% to 41.9%, while its weekly audience held at just over 31 million. Radio 2 remains the most listened-to station, with 12.7 million weekly listeners, up 2% on the quarter. Sara Cox's new Radio 2 Breakfast Show, which began during the survey period, reaches 6.4 million. Vernon Kay's show is the most listened-to programme in the country, at 6.8 million.

Radio 1 has 8.23 million listeners. Greg James's Breakfast Show rose from 4.06 million to 4.12 million. Radio 4 is the top speech station with 8.7 million, and the Today programme reaches 5.5 million. Radio 6 Music has 2.6 million.

BBC Local Radio in England lost reach, falling from 4.690 million to 4.425 million, a drop of 5.7%. Total hours edged up from 32.5 million to 32.6 million. Twelve of 37 stations gained listeners and 24 lost them. Radio Derby grew 23% and Radio Merseyside 22%. Radio Leicester lost 27% and Radio Gloucestershire 26%.

Commercial groups

Global reports record hours: 289 million, with 29.1 million weekly listeners and a 28% share. Heart is the biggest brand at more than 13 million, 355,000 ahead of Radio 2. Capital has 9.1 million. Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden is the biggest commercial breakfast show, at four million.

Bauer Media Audio UK counts 22.9 million weekly listeners across its stations and partners. The Hits Radio portfolio reaches 12.2 million. KISS, relaunched earlier this year, is up 29% year on year to 1.7 million. Gary Stein, Bauer's Director of Audio, called it "a great quarter across the portfolio".

News Broadcasting reports 6.5 million weekly listeners and 43.8 million hours. talkSPORT hit its highest-ever hours, 24.9 million, after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Times Radio grew 10% to 619,000.

Nation Broadcasting Group rose from 1.268 million to 1.748 million listeners. Founder Jason Bryant said the group had gone from under 6 million weekly hours at the start of 2025 to more than 9.3 million. Its newest purchase, More Radio, fell 37%, from 54,000 to 34,000.

Lyca Radio passed Sunrise in London for the first time. Chief executive Raj Baddhan said: "We have made history today." STV Radio, launched in January, slipped from 139,000 to 131,000 but raised average hours from 9 to 11.

Source: RadioToday