RAJAR: BBC Asian Network & Sunrise Radio continue to lead

The BBC Asian Network remained the UK’s No.1 Asian radio station, while Sunrise Radio held on to the lead in the commercial sector, according to RAJAR data for quarter ending June 2022 (Q2/22).

BBC Asian Network delivered a weekly reach of 473,000 – down from 505,000 . Average hours per listener dropped from 5.2 to 5.1. Meanwhile, Sunrise Radio also saw a fall nationally. It garnered a weekly reach of 376,000 – down from 385,000 in Q1/22. Its average hours per listener declined from 4.1 to 3.8.

In London, Sunrise Radio remained the market leader with 188,000 – up from 186,000. However, its average hours per listener fell slightly from 3.3 to 3.2.

Tony Lit, MBE, MD Sunrise Radio comments, “With the release of RAJAR Q2 2022 this morning, I’m happy to report that once again Sunrise London and Sunrise National have delivered a great set of results showing a consistent, stable national audience and a further increase in London’s audience. RAJAR Q2 2022 confirms Sunrise Radio as London’s and the UK’s Number 1 commercial Asian radio station.

In London alone Sunrise has more than double the weekly audience of its nearest commercial Asian radio competitor and Sunrise is the only national commercial Asian radio service.

I would just like to thank Sunrise Radio’s loyal listeners, our commercial partners and my talented Sunrise Radio team. At Sunrise Radio we all work together with the main aim of keeping British Asians entertained and informed. Asian Heritage month in the UK started on the 18th July running to 17th August, at Sunrise we celebrate Asian heritage every day! And maybe next month we’ll be celebrating the UK’s first British Asian Prime Minister!”

Rival, Lyca Radio was also up from 78,000 to 80,000. Its average hours per listener climbed from 3.2 to 4.3. Its sister station, Lyca Gold – the UK’s first and only retro Asian station saw a significant weekly reach drop from 82,000 to 37,000. Its average hours per listener was up from 7.0 to 7.2. Lyca Gold is being listened to longer than any other UK Asian radio station with 7.2 average hours per listener during an average week.

Raj Baddhan, CEO of Lyca Media said, “We’re pleased to see the average hours per listener rise for both Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold. Lyca Gold is once again being listened to longer than any other UK Asian radio station. While most other stations saw their average hours per listener go down, Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold were being listened to longer during an average week.

We’ll soon be celebrating the first anniversary of Lyca Gold with an event for our listeners, plus the festive season is upon us so we’re excited to roll out some innovative initiatives for the upcoming Bank Holiday, Navratri and Diwali period.”

Panjab Radio increased its weekly reach from 42,000 to 43,000, while its average hours per listener was up 3.9 to 5.0.

Amrit Basran, CEO of Panjab Radio said, “We are jubilant to see a 33% rise in Panjab Radio listening hours from 3.9 to 5.0. This 33% increase in listening hours is an indicator that the changes made to the content and the overall sound of the station means listeners are listening to us for even longer.

Panjab Radio has always been a hub of information for our listeners. Be it an immigration question, a health matter or simply a telephone number of an advertiser, it has taken many years to build this trust and we will continue making it stronger day by day.

I believe that changing the habits of the audience is a gradual process and Panjab Radio will continue improving its offerings so that we can serve our audience and advertisers even better. We are what we are because of them and I am thankful for their support.”

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.