Digital radio attracts 24% of listeners

Digital Radio has increased its overall share of listeners at a record rate in 2010, following positive growth for the BBC and commercial digital-only stations.

According to RAJAR figures for the three months to March 28, all digital radio platforms - including digital audio broadcasting, digital TV and online - accounted for 24% of listening, up from 20.9% in the previous quarter.

DAB remains the most popular platform with 15.1% of listening, followed by digital TV with 4% and the internet with 2.9%.

Over the quarter, the BBC's digital-only station 6 Music increased its audience by almost 50% year-on-year to 1.02 million. Speech station BBC Radio 7 also broke the 1m barrier after posting a 6.6% year-on-year growth to 1.049m.

In the commercial sector, digital station Absolute Classic Rock's weekly reach was up 37.1% to 255,000 and NME Radio saw a 16% upsurge to 226,000 weekly listeners.

Jazz FM earned a 15.4% year-on-year increase to 471,000 listeners, while new digital station Absolute 80s debuted with a weekly reach of 264,000.

After being named 'Digital Station Of The Year' at the Sony Radio Awards, Planet Rock's weekly reach was up 3% year-on-year to 694,000 listeners.

Bauer Media's The Hits retained its position as the most popular commercial digital-only station with 1.05m listeners, up 4.4% quarter-on-quarter, but down 18.8% year-on-year.

The strong growth in digital radio consumption will provide a boost to the ongoing campaign to prepare Britain for the switch from analogue to digital radio services.

Speaking to The Guardian, Digital Radio UK chief executive Ford Ennals said: "These are extremely encouraging results and represent a real milestone in the UK's transition to a digital future for radio.

"Over 40% of listeners now listen to digital radio every week and digital radio's share of listening is almost a quarter. We are seeing growth right across the board - across all platforms, both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter, and across commercial radio and the BBC, which both recorded strong digital listening growth."

The digital radio switchover could go ahead by 2015 under current plans, but that will only come into force if digital platforms account for 50% of all radio listening.