Fifty million adults are tuning into radio each week and consuming more than one billion hours of content, according to the latest RAJAR Q4 2025 figures.
The data points to continued resilience for UK radio, with listening patterns increasingly shaped by digital platforms and strong performance from commercial groups with national reach and regional depth – particularly outside London.
Commercial radio increased its share of listening during the quarter to 55.2%, compared with 42.8% for the BBC, a gap that now equates to around 8.5 million more listeners. Overall, radio continues to reach 86% of the UK population, or 50 million people each week.
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Listening habits are continuing to shift away from traditional platforms. Online listening reached a record 29.8%, while smart speakers now account for 18.5% of total radio listening hours, rising to 22.2% for commercial radio.
Radiocentre chief executive Matt Payton said: “It’s great to see commercial radio’s share remaining strong again this quarter, with audiences tuning in for longer. It’s also encouraging to see record breaking numbers for online listening, reflecting the fact that listeners are increasingly choosing to access their favourite radio brands across multiple platforms.”
Northern stations show resilience as London softens
The quarter again highlighted a contrast between London and the regions. Several heritage London commercial stations recorded quarter-on-quarter declines, while a number of Northern services grew or held steady.
Capital Yorkshire remains Capital’s biggest station outside London with 852,000 listeners, while Capital North East recorded an 18% increase in weekly reach. Smooth North West continued as the largest commercial radio station outside the capital, reaching 1.2 million listeners, and Heart East Midlands reported 172,000 listeners across Derbyshire, Leicester and Nottinghamshire.
Bauer Media Audio UK reported 22.5 million weekly listeners across its portfolio in Q4, reaching audiences across app, online and smart speaker platforms.
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Bauer said its results reinforce radio’s continued scale, with digital listening now accounting for 75% of all listening hours, including 30% via apps and smart speakers.
The group’s Hits Radio Portfolio, comprising Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio, now reaches 12.4 million listeners, rising to 14.4 million when partner stations are included. Greatest Hits Radio attracts 6.9 million listeners, with a further 1.4 million tuning into its decade spin-off stations, while Hits Radio reaches 6.8 million listeners, with continued growth for Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s.
Other Bauer networks also posted strong figures. Absolute Radio reaches 5.4 million listeners, Magic Radio has grown to 3.6 million, and KISS entertains 3.4 million listeners each week. Bauer operates four of the UK’s five largest digital commercial radio stations, including Absolute Radio and KISSTORY, while its digital audio advertising platform audioXi now reaches 14 million people a month.
Simon Myciunka, Bauer Media Group’s President of Audio and CEO for Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “Entertaining our valued audiences is at the heart of what we do and in an increasingly untrustworthy media landscape, radio remains a trusted home for audiences and advertisers. Continued innovation allows us more ways to reach and better serve audiences and commercial partners – including our award-winning Rayo platform and fast-growing digital audio advertising solution audioXi.”
Gary Stein, Director of Audio at Bauer Media Audio UK, added: “These results reflect a strong quarter for Bauer, with some stand out performances including the Magic Radio Network… It’s also brilliant to see KISS building real momentum, especially with younger audiences.”
BBC remains dominant at scale
BBC national services continued to lead overall listening, with BBC Radio 2 remaining the UK’s most listened-to single station and strong performances across breakfast programming.
At a local level, results were more evenly balanced. Across the BBC’s 37 local stations, just over half reported growth in Q4. In the North, BBC Radio Humberside increased its reach by 23%, while BBC Radio WM recorded a 47% rise.
BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips said: “The BBC continues to be the number one radio brand and I’m delighted that audiences across the country are choosing to spend their day with our incredible roster of much-loved presenters.”
