The latest RAJAR results, released on 5 February 2026, reveal an industry that continues to reach enormous audiences while embracing an increasingly digital future. With commercial radio strengthening its market share, listeners spending longer tuning in and connected platforms creating new opportunities, there's plenty to celebrate.
Radio continues to defy the predictions
For a medium that has been written off more times than most of us can remember, radio is looking remarkably healthy.
The latest RAJAR figures reveal that 50 million adults listen to UK radio every week, representing 86% of the population. Collectively, those listeners consume an extraordinary 1.015 billion hours of radio every seven days.
That's more than a billion hours of entertainment, news, music and conversation in a world where competition for our attention has never been greater.
Commercial radio remains at the heart of this success.
With 39.4 million weekly listeners, commercial broadcasters reach more than two-thirds of UK adults and continue to extend their advantage over BBC radio in listening share.
And there's something particularly encouraging happening beneath the headline figures.
Audiences are spending longer with commercial stations, digital listening is growing, and broadcasters are finding increasingly creative ways to serve different tastes and interests.
The result is an industry that appears remarkably comfortable adapting to change.
Commercial radio strengthens its position
Perhaps the most significant headline is commercial radio's growing share of the market.
Commercial broadcasters now account for 55.2% of all radio listening hours, up from 53.9% in the equivalent quarter of 2024.
The BBC, meanwhile, commands 42.8%.
That represents a substantial lead, particularly when considering the sheer scale of the UK's radio audience.
Commercial radio reaches 39.43 million people weekly, compared with 30.90 million for the BBC. That's an advantage of approximately 8.5 million listeners.
And although commercial radio's weekly reach declined slightly year-on-year, listening hours actually increased by approximately 0.7% to 560.4 million.
Perhaps even more encouragingly, average listening time rose from 13.9 to 14.2 hours per listener each week.
That's a meaningful development.
In a media environment where declining attention spans are a constant concern, commercial radio is persuading its listeners to spend more time with the medium.
Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton welcomed the results, highlighting both commercial radio's strong market share and the increasing time audiences spend listening.
For broadcasters and advertisers, that combination of substantial reach and sustained engagement is enormously valuable.
The digital transformation is gathering pace
One of the clearest stories emerging from this release is how successfully radio has embraced digital technology.
Digital platforms now account for 80.3% of commercial radio listening hours, compared with 79% a year earlier.
That's an extraordinary transformation for a medium historically associated with analogue broadcasting.
DAB remains the largest individual platform, accounting for 45.3% of commercial listening.
Online listening, including websites, apps and smart speakers, now represents 33.1%, up from 31.1% a year earlier.
Across all UK radio, online listening has reached a record 29.8% of total hours, comfortably exceeding traditional AM/FM listening at 25.4%.
The significance extends well beyond how audiences receive their favourite stations.
Digital distribution allows broadcasters to introduce new services, reach listeners on connected devices and create increasingly sophisticated advertising opportunities.
It also demonstrates something important about consumer behaviour.
Listeners haven't abandoned radio as new technologies have emerged. They've brought radio with them.
And commercial broadcasters have been particularly successful at making that transition.
Smart speakers have become a major listening platform
Perhaps the most fascinating development concerns smart speakers.
Across all radio, these devices now account for 18.5% of listening hours, compared with 16.1% a year earlier.
For commercial radio, the figure is even more impressive.
Smart speakers now account for 22.2% of commercial listening hours, up from 19.8% in Q4 2024.
That means more commercial radio listening now takes place through smart speakers than through traditional AM/FM, which accounts for 19.7%.
It's a remarkable milestone.
Think about how quickly voice-activated devices have become part of everyday household life.
Whether preparing dinner, working from home or getting the children ready for school, asking a smart speaker to play a favourite station has become wonderfully natural.
Radio has successfully established itself within another generation of technology.
And the commercial implications are significant.
Connected listening creates opportunities for more flexible advertising delivery, improved audience targeting and potentially more meaningful campaign measurement.
As these capabilities develop, broadcasters can increasingly combine the familiar strengths of radio with the sophistication advertisers expect from digital media.
Younger listeners remain a commercial strength
The assumption that younger audiences have abandoned radio is difficult to reconcile with the latest figures.
Commercial broadcasters reach 18.57 million people aged 15–44 every week, equivalent to 68% of this demographic.
Even more impressively, commercial radio commands 68.1% of all radio listening hours among these listeners.
The BBC accounts for 29.3%.
That's a commanding advantage within an audience segment exposed to an extraordinary variety of streaming services, social media platforms and on-demand entertainment.
Younger commercial radio listeners spend an average of 11.6 hours each week with the medium.
The significance for advertisers should be obvious.
Radio continues to provide access to millions of consumers during important stages of their lives, from entering the workforce to building careers, establishing households and raising families.
Its ability to remain relevant to these audiences offers an encouraging foundation for future growth.
Big brands continue to deliver
The latest figures also reveal some impressive performances from the industry's biggest broadcasters.
Global remains the UK's largest commercial radio group, reaching approximately 29 million listeners each week.
The company achieved record listening hours of 288 million and a record 28.3% share of the total radio market.
Heart continues to lead the UK radio brand rankings with 12.7 million weekly listeners, ahead of BBC Radio 2.
Heart Breakfast, featuring Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden, attracts 4.1 million listeners, making it the country's biggest commercial breakfast show.
Capital reaches 9.2 million people each week, while Smooth attracts 7.5 million.
At Bauer, the Hits Radio Portfolio reaches 12.4 million listeners, rising to 14.4 million when partner stations are included.
Greatest Hits Radio's network attracts 6.9 million listeners, with Ken Bruce continuing to present the UK's most listened-to commercial radio programme.
These figures demonstrate the continuing power of recognisable radio brands and popular presenters.
In a world of algorithms and automated recommendations, human personality remains a remarkably effective way to build audience loyalty.
Specialist stations are finding their audiences
One of the most encouraging developments is the success of stations serving particular musical tastes and interests.
Bauer's Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s now reach 457,000 and 380,000 listeners respectively.
Absolute Radio 00s has achieved its biggest audience yet, growing 20% year-on-year to 520,000 listeners.
Planet Rock has increased its audience by 13% to 1.1 million, while Kerrang! Radio has grown 16% to 547,000.
Elsewhere, Mellow Magic has increased its audience by 21% to 528,000 listeners.
Global is seeing similar opportunities, with Smooth Relax reaching 466,000 listeners and Capital Dance attracting more than one million weekly listeners.
These developments illustrate how digital distribution is expanding radio's ability to serve audiences with more specific interests.
For broadcasters, specialist stations create opportunities to develop distinctive brands.
For advertisers, they offer access to communities of listeners united by particular tastes, lifestyles and preferences.
It's an increasingly interesting part of the commercial radio proposition.
Speech radio is finding its voice
Commercial speech radio is also enjoying some notable successes.
LBC has achieved a record brand audience of 3.4 million listeners, with its main national service reaching 2.8 million.
Nick Ferrari at Breakfast and James O'Brien each attract approximately 1.4 million listeners.
Meanwhile, News UK's Talk has recorded substantial growth in listening hours, increasing 35% year-on-year.
These performances demonstrate the continuing appetite for live discussion, news and opinion.
Perhaps that's unsurprising.
In an increasingly complicated world, audiences continue to value familiar voices capable of helping them make sense of events.
The relationship between presenter and listener remains one of radio's most distinctive qualities.
And it provides an environment that advertisers can use to communicate with audiences who have actively chosen the content they're consuming.
What does this mean for advertisers?
For advertisers, these latest RAJAR figures reinforce a compelling proposition.
Commercial radio combines extraordinary scale with increasingly sophisticated ways to reach audiences.
With almost 40 million weekly listeners, it offers the potential to build broad awareness and repeated brand exposure through a medium that remains deeply embedded in everyday life.
But the industry's digital transformation is adding another dimension.
As more listening moves onto connected platforms, advertisers can increasingly combine traditional broadcast campaigns with digital audio opportunities, including more precise geographical targeting, audience segmentation and improved measurement.
The growth of specialist stations adds further possibilities. Brands can reach broad national audiences, particular regional markets or listeners with shared interests through an increasingly diverse collection of commercial services.
Perhaps most importantly, radio continues to accompany people throughout their day.
RAJAR reports that 62% of radio listening hours take place at home, 26% in vehicles and 12% at work or elsewhere.
These everyday listening environments create valuable opportunities to reinforce brand messages while consumers are going about their lives.
For existing radio advertisers, the opportunity is to explore how connected audio can complement established broadcast campaigns.
For businesses that have never advertised on radio, the latest results provide an excellent reason to reconsider the medium.
Radio's combination of reach, familiarity, audience choice and technological innovation is becoming increasingly attractive.
And with commercial broadcasters continuing to invest in content, digital distribution and advertising capabilities, the opportunities are likely to expand.
The latest RAJAR results demonstrate that commercial radio has an exciting future ahead of it.
Nearly 40 million weekly listeners, growing listening time and a rapidly evolving digital landscape provide a powerful foundation.
The audience is there. The technology is advancing. And the possibilities for advertisers are growing.
For an industry that has spent decades proving its resilience, that's a pretty good start to 2026.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the independent analysis, views and opinions of adserve, based on publicly available RAJAR audience data and industry commentary. The interpretations and conclusions expressed are entirely our own and should not be taken to represent the views, opinions or endorsements of RAJAR, Radiocentre, individual broadcasters, radio stations or the wider radio industry. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, readers are encouraged to refer to the official RAJAR publications for definitive audience figures.
Was this useful?