Major BBC radio stations see second consecutive year drop in listenership

Figures show some major BBC radio stations, including Radio 3 and 4, saw audience increases in the final quarter of 2022 – although audience numbers fell for the second time in a row. compared with the same period last year.

adio 5 Live recorded a big jump towards the end of the year, around the time of the World Cup in Qatar, with the average audience growing 14% from 4.9 million in July-September to 5.6 million in the month. 10-12.

However, the station’s listenership is down 5% compared to October-December 2021 – the second straight quarter of quarterly decline.

There is a similar picture in Radio 3 and 4, according to new figures published by Rajar, the audience research agency.

Both stations saw an increase in viewership between October and December compared to the previous three months, 9% for Station 3 (to 1.9 million) and 3% for Station 4 (10.1 million), but down 6% year-on-year and 4% respectively.

This is only the second time that annual listening figures have been compared since Rajar changed the way it aggregates data in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organization now uses a combination of in-person surveys and remotely collected data, rather than the pre-pandemic approach of relying entirely on the organization’s findings based on established surveys. through direct interview.

This means it will take time before long-term trends in listener behavior become apparent – ​​especially whether listeners are moving in an up or down direction.

The latest data also shows that Radio 2’s audience overall remained steady for the October-December period at 14.3 million, down just 1% from three months earlier.

These are the station’s first figures since Steve Wright left his weekday afternoon series at the end of September.

Radio 2’s audience was down 4% year-on-year.

World Service has seen listener numbers grow 9% quarter-on-quarter and 5% year-over-year, amid events like the ongoing war in Ukraine and Cop27 in Egypt.

About 382 jobs will leave the World Service as part of a plan to move broadcasters to a more digital-led service, with Arabic and Persian broadcasting services among those. will close.

BBC Radio 5 Live moderator and head of BBC Salford, Heidi Dawson, said: “Our quarterly results have been really strong with over 5.5 million weekly listeners and an audience outside of London. we increase half a million listeners.

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“The sensational coverage of the FIFA World Cup has increased listening and as the UK’s only national radio station based outside the capital, people from across the country feel they have can talk to us about everyday issues that are important to them, such as the rising cost of living.”

Smaller commercial radio stations have enjoyed varying success.

GB News Radio, which launched in early 2022, has seen listenership drop by 26% from the previous quarter, from 415,000 to 306,000 – although this is still well above the 239,000 reported January-May 3.

TalkRadio’s audience stood at 608,000 in October-December, down 5% QoQ but up 12% YoY.

Times Radio, which launched in June 2020, reported an average audience of 563,000, up 4% from the previous quarter.