The BBC Asian Network lost over 100,000 listeners in latest listening figures published for UK radio stations, by RAJAR for Q4/18 data.
During the last three months of 2018, the BBC Asian Network’s weekly reach stood at 527,000 – down from 631,000 – a loss of 104,000 listeners. The station registered a drop of 16.5% quarter-on-quarter. Its listening hours were also down from 5.8 hours to 5.3 hours. Furthermore, the station’s share also shrank from 0.4% to 0.3%. When compared to last year, the BBC Asian Network’s audience was down by 20.3% year-on-year. This time last year, the station’s weekly reach stood in a stronger position with 661,000 listeners. Despite the slump, BBC Asian Network continued to lead the UK Asian radio market.
Sunrise Radio National also lost listeners but its fall was not as significant. The station’s weekly reach was down from 315,000 listeners to 303,000 listeners, that was 3.8% down quarter-on-quarter. Its listening hours were also down from 5.1 hours to 4.6 hours. The station’s market share was down from 0.2% to 0.1%.
Panjab Radio remained relatively unchanged with an audience of 187,000 listeners – down slightly from 191,000 listeners in Q3/18. The station’s listening hours were down from 3.6 to 3.2 hours. Its share remained at 0.1%.
Other UK based Asian radio stations such as Radio XL in Birmingham, Sabras Radio in Leicester, Asian Sound in Manchester, Sunrise Radio in Yorkshire and other digital and community Asian radio stations do not subscribe to RAJAR.
