RAJAR: Sunrise Radio loses 35k listeners in London; Lyca Radio inches closer to top
Sunrise Radio has lost 35,000 listeners, while Lyca Radio gained in Q3/23 data published by RAJAR today.
The station, which has been dominating the Asian commercial radio market for over 30 years, made a huge loss in its audience numbers. This resulted in its rival, Lyca Radio inching closer to the No.1 spot in the Greater London market. The gap between the two stations now stands at just 8,000 – the closest yet.
The Lyca Group stations Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold were the only two Asian radio stations to see an uplift in numbers this quarter. Lyca Radio reported 116,000 listeners – up from 113,000 listeners. Its average listening hours per listener were also up from 5.3 hours to 5.5 hours.
Lyca Gold’s audience was up from 71,000 to 80,000. Its average listening hours per listener was also up from 4.3 hours to 4.5 hours.
Raj Baddhan, CEO of Lyca Media said, “It gives me much pride to see the continuous growth of both Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold for the third consecutive quarter. My team has been working tirelessly on creating a unique sound for Asian Londoners. It’s very encouraging to see the efforts are paying off. As we approach our 10th anniversary in February, we have some huge announcements that will further shake-up the market. We’re here to re-define commercial Asian radio with two distinct brands, Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold. A huge thanks to our listeners, well-wishers and commercial partners for putting the trust and commitment in the Lyca Group and making it the No.1 Asian Radio Network in Greater London.”
Also in London, Panjab Radio dropped by 10,000 listeners. It reported a reach of 103,000, with very impressive listening hours. It stood tall against its rivals, with 11.1 average listening hours per listening – up from 8.5.
Surjit Singh Ghuman MBE, Managing Director, states, “Panjab Radio retains the No.1 slot with an increase of almost 19% in total listening hours in the London South Asian commercial radio arena.
The latest release of RAJAR data for Q3/23 (Y) shows Panjab Radio’s audience continue to listen for longer to Panjab Radio than any other commercial South Asian station in UK. This quarter, our listeners are tuning in on average for 11.1 hours per week, up 30% from 8.5 from the previous quarter.
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Despite the ever increasing competition for people’s time and attention, our loyal audience actively chooses to listen to Panjab Radio complimenting our continued investment in programming choices available. Many thanks to our loyal advertisers and listeners for contributing to our ongoing success.”
Nationally, the BBC Asian Network held on to the No.1 spot with a reach of 462,000 – down from 505,000 listeners. Its average listening hours were up from 6.6 to 6.9 hours.
Sunrise Radio National was down from 351,000 to 333,000 listeners. Its average listening hours were 5.0 hours.
Tony Lit, MBE, MD Sunrise Radio said, “Following the release of RAJAR Q3 2023 this morning, I’m happy to report that Sunrise Radio remains the market leader in Asian commercial radio in London and Nationally. I would like to thank our loyal listeners, commercial partners, and the Sunrise Team for making this possible. We are embarking on new adventures and are proud to be part of the Team promoting the Badshah UK Tour this coming November, we are also the radio partner for the Shubh UK Tour, The Trio Show Rewind Reloaded, and Shreya Ghoshal All Hearts Tour, with many more Sunrise Radio, Superstar Tours collaborations to be announced in the near future.
Sunrise Smooth launched on London DAB in May this year and has captured the hearts of our listeners and clients alike, the feedback has been amazing. Sunrise Smooth also holds a special place in my heart as it’s the last Radio Station involvement of Avtar Lit my father and the Founder of Sunrise Radio. RAJAR listening figs for Sunrise Smooth, due in 2024.
There will also be some great news on the Sunrise National service to be announced very soon so stay tuned in.”
