RAJAR: Lyca Radio adds 19k new listeners; Sunrise Radio loses 10k in Q2/23
London’s premier Asian radio station, Lyca Radio 1458AM, once again added new listeners for the third consecutive quarter, according to RAJAR data for Q2/23.
The popular station, a part of the Lyca Group, garnered a weekly reach of 113,000 – up by 19,000 from 94,000 in Q1/23. Its average hours per listener was also up from 4.7 to 5.3. Lyca Radio has added nearly 50,000 new listeners over the past six months (In Q1/23, Lyca Radio added 26k listeners & in Q2/23, Lyca Radio welcomed 19k listeners).
Sunrise Radio declined by 10,000 listeners, from 169,000 in Q1/23 to 159,000 in Q2/23. Its listening hours also fell from 4.6 to 4.5.
Panjab Radio continued its upward trend with an incline from 104,000 in Q1/23 to 113,000 in Q2/23. Its average listening hours per listener was also the highest for any Asian radio station, standing at 8.5.
The gap has been closing in at the top amongst Asian radio stations in London, with the nine-year-old brand, Lyca Radio and Panjab Radio now just over 40,000 behind Sunrise Radio, which has been in the market for over 30 years.
There was further good news for the Lyca Group, with its second Asian station, Lyca Gold – the UK’s first and only retro Asian music station, jumping up by 13,000, from 58,000 to 71,000. Its listening hours dwindled from 5.1 to 4.3.
The Lyca Group (Lyca Radio & Lyca Gold) in total delivered a reach of 162,000 beating Sunrise Radio in London, with its solo station figure of 159,000.
Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold are spearheaded by Raj Baddhan, who was appointed CEO of Lyca Media back in January 2021. During his tenure, the stations have grown to become a huge success, with both revenue and ratings up across the Lyca radio network.
Tony Lit, MBE, MD Sunrise Radio told BizAsiaLive.com, “After the release of RAJAR Q2/23 this morning, Sunrise Radio now in its 34th year of broadcasting is once again confirmed as the UK’s Number 1 commercial Asian radio station, both Nationally and in London. I’m also happy to report that on Sunrise National we have increased our weekly audience by 24,000 individual listeners and our total weekly hours are up by 212,000. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal listeners and my team for their support and messages of condolence after the sad loss of Dr Avtar Lit, my father and the founder of Sunrise Radio.
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“Everyone here at Sunrise Radio is committed to providing Britain’s Asian community with only the best in music and entertainment, oh, and make sure you tune in on Monday for the launch of our fabulous competition with Southall Travel, you could win a luxury holiday to Thailand.”
Raj Baddhan, CEO of Lyca Media said, “It’s the start of a new dawn at Lyca Media with significant growth for both Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold. We’re very pleased to see both Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold seeing the largest weekly reach increase amongst any commercial Asian station in this quarter.
“As a group, we’re proud to say that the Lyca Group stations (Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold) have for the first time have beaten Sunrise Radio in London. We’re here to change the game and to give London listeners an alternative choice with robust content through our high-end output.
“There’s a huge announcement we’ll be making soon, which will once again disrupt the current UK Asian radio market. Watch this space, with details soon!
“The fantastic RAJAR numbers, are a testament of my brilliant team’s hard work. I want to thank them wholeheartedly, as well as our commercial partners that have put the trust in me and our Lyca brands. Finally, a huge thanks to our loving listeners whether they communicate with us or are the “silent listeners” – we could not have done this without you!”
Surjit Ghuman MBE, Managing Director of Panjab Radio said, “The release of the Q2/23 RAJAR data shows Panjab Radio yet again delivering audience growth. Our overhaul of programming in 2023 is continuing to reap dividends.
“Panjab Radio’s weekly reach is up by 9,000 to 113,000 15+ Adults and an increase in listening hours of 70,000 to 959,000 with our loyal listeners are tuning in for 8.5 hours, longer than any other South Asian London based commercial station. This means Panjab Radio has retained the No.1 position for having the most average hours per listener in the South Asian London commercial radio arena.”
