RAJAR: Digital radio listening continues to grow

Figures released by RAJAR today reveal that digital radio listening continues to grow.

However, the radio audience measuring body has reported that 80% of digital listening is to stations already available on analogue.

Nearly a third of the population – 31.4% – now listen to digital radio at least once a week, with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio accounting for the lion’s share of listening.

Only 21.4% of listening is to digital-only stations such as Asian FX, ZEE Radio, BBC 6Music and BBC 7.

There was also an increase in DAB set ownership with 27.3% of adults claiming to own a DAB receiver. This is a 40% increase year on year (19.5% in Q1, 2007) and a rise on Quarter 4, 2007 of 22%.

Radio listening via a digital platform continues to grow steadily. Data collected for quarter ending March 2008 reveals that 17.8% of all radio listening is now via a digital platform, of which:
-10.8% is via DAB
-3.2% is via DTV and
-2.1% is via the Internet

Listening via mobile phone was also up, from 8% at the end of last year to 11.6% in the first quarter of 2008.

Updated: 17:30