LONDON, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Radio listening figures for Q1, 2011 set new records

- 91.6% of UK population tune in to radio every week - new record (1)

- Total radio listening hours reach 1,058 million per week - new record (2)

- Over a quarter of radio listening is now via a digital receiver

- Access to a DAB receiver up 11.2% year on year to 19.7 million adults

- Hours of listening via the internet up 28.3% year on year

Radio listening reached its highest level ever recorded in Q1, 2011(1), as 47.3 million adults or 91.6% of the population (15+) tuned in to their favourite radio stations each week(3), it was announced today by RAJAR Limited (Radio Joint Audience Research). This figure is up by over three quarters of a million listeners in comparison with a year ago or 1.7%. (c.f. 46.5 million in Q1, 2010). The total number of radio listening hours also broke all previous records to reach 1,058 million hours per week or 22.4 hours per listener(2) (c.f. 1,045 million hours in Q4, 2010).

Radio listening via digital platforms

Listening to radio via a digital platform in terms of weekly reach(3) has increased by 12.8% year on year, with 22.3 million people now tuning in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver each week (up from 19.7 million in Q1, 2010).

This increase is reflected in the digital listening hours for Q1, 2011 which are up 15.4% from 243 million hours in Q1, 2010 to 280 million hours this quarter.

As ever, DAB radio retains its position as the most popular device when it comes to listening to digital radio, accounting for 63.1% of all digital hours, however listening via DTV (digital television) and more particularly internet, have both continued to rise year on year, (hours up by 7.1% and 28.3% respectively) albeit from a smaller base.

- DAB hours are 177 million (153m in Q1, 2010 - up 15.3%)

- DTV hours are 44 million (41m in Q1, 2010 - up 7.1%)

- Internet hours are 38 million (29m in Q1, 2010 - up 28.3%)

The significant rise in reach and hours is also reflected in the share of radio listening via a digital platform, which has increased from 24% in Q1, 2010 to 26.5%, in Q1 2011 and now accounts for more than one quarter of all radio listening, with internet listening increasing its share from 2.9% in Q1 2010 to reach 3.6% this quarter. (Last quarter the share of internet listening broke the 3% barrier for the first time).

Access to a DAB receiver

RAJAR's latest research reveals access to a DAB receiver is up 11.2% year on year and is nearly three times the level of five years ago. In Q1, 2011 almost two in five of the population (38.2%), or 19.7 million adults (aged 15+) claimed to live in a household which has a DAB set (c.f. 17.7 million in Q1, 2010 and 6.7 million in Q1, 2006).

Radio listening via mobile phone

Radio listening via mobile phone has increased by 10.2% year on year with 13.8% of adults aged 15+ in Q1, 2011 saying they have listened in this way (c.f. 12.6% in Q1, 2010). In the 25+ demographic 11% say they have listened to the radio via their mobile phone, up 21% year on year (c.f. 9.2% in Q1, 2010.). In the 15-24 demographic 28.6% of those surveyed now claim to have listened to the radio in this way with 14.5% stating they listen at least once a week and 3.1% stating they listen every day.

Detailed data and individual radio station data, for both BBC and Commercial Radio stations, is available on the RAJAR web site at http://www.rajar.co.uk from 00.01hours, Thursday May 12, 2011.

(1) Since records began in 1992

(2) Since new methodology was introduced in Q2, 2007

(3) Weekly reach is the number of people (adults 15+) in the UK who listened to a radio station for at least five minutes in the course of an average week during the quarter

SOURCE RAJAR