RAJAR's reassuring Q1 '25📻

This week, Sian Kelly, AV Director at The Specialist Works, is feeding your media geekery by unlocking the latest RAJAR Q1 2025 results 🔍 

A strong start for commercial radio and digital listening 🎧

Last week’s RAJAR results are in - if you’re not familiar, it’s the UK’s official measure of radio audiences. 📊 Once again, it’s good news for entrepreneurial brands: commercial radio is growing, while BBC listening continues to decline, meaning more space to reach more people.

🔢 The numbers

• Commercial radio now holds 55% of total listening hours - a year-on-year increase

• Over 50m weekly listeners tune into commercial radio - 8.5m more than the BBC

• The UK spends an average of 14 hours per week listening to commercial radio

👉 A mass-reaching, high-dwell environment - ideal for building brand awareness and trust.

📲 Digital listening keeps growing

• Online now makes up 29% of all radio consumption (a record high)

• Smart speaker listening is up to 18%, growing faster among commercial listeners:

It’s important to remember that digital platforms give you more reach without more cost. Linear radio is transmitted via online devices alongside addressable, dynamically served advertisement.

So…brands have the choice of using radio’s mass appeal, or paying extra to use data to drive more selective targeting, a win/win!

Unlocking the emerging themes from RAJAR 🎙️

🎯 Niche audio formats are thriving, creating exciting opportunities for entrepreneurial brands to connect with engaged, passionate listeners. Smooth 70s saw hours jump up 105%, while Heart Musicals surged with a 61% rise in reach and 318% in hours. Capital XTRA Reloaded (+28%), LBC News (+87%), and Absolute Radio Country (+71% reach) also show strong momentum in focused, format-led content.

🕰️ Nostalgia and news continue to win with older audiences. Boom Radio grew hours by 27%, while Greatest Hits and Times Radio remain trusted destinations - perfect for brands targeting loyal, high-attention listeners.

🎛️ Digital spin-offs are bold but also unpredictable. Winners like Smooth Chill (+17%), Radio X Chilled (+22%), and KISS (+38%) show real potential, though KISS Dance dropped 74% in reach. For challenger brands, the low-cost testing ground is worth the risk.

🏝️ Hyperlocal stations saw standout results, with Island FM leading on a 40.2% market share and Channel 103 reaching over half of Jersey weekly. Original 106 also posted record engagement - proof that local-first still delivers strong community and commercial value.

Group highlights 🎙️

The big three - Global, Bauer, and News UK - offer strong cross-channel buying power across audio, OOH, digital, and more.

Global

• Heart reaches 13.4m listeners, overtaking BBC Radio 2 - a true mass-reach option

• Capital hits 9.4m, performing well with the 16–34 audience

• Radio X brings in 2.5m, offering a male-skewed, alternative listen with strong social content

Bauer

• Greatest Hits reaches 7.5m, with Ken Bruce at the helm and strong regional pull

• Absolute Radio Network draws 5.6m weekly - cheeky, character-led content with spin-offs across every decade

News UK

• talkSPORT hits 3.9m - male, sports-focused, and far more cost-efficient than TV

• Times Radio serves 600,000 informed, upmarket listeners, aligned with its newspaper brand

Why this matters to you? 🎯

Radio remains a trusted, efficient and emotionally resonant medium. With digital platforms expanding access and niche stations on the rise, it’s easier than ever to find the right audience, tone, and context for your brand - whether you’re building awareness or driving action.

From commuting to cooking to gym time, radio is there, and for entrepreneurial brands, that’s an opportunity worth tuning into. 🔊

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That’s it for this edition of The Specialist View. We’ll be back soon with more sharp thinking, fresh perspectives, and the kind of media intelligence that helps entrepreneurial marketers turn ambition into action – and impact. Because specialist work is what we do – and as a proudly independent media agency, we’re equally proud of the passionate specialists behind it. Their curiosity, craft and commitment drive everything we deliver, from smarter strategies to standout results. It’s this depth of expertise and energy that sets us apart – helping our clients move faster, think bigger, and demand more from their media.