RAJAR Q3 2026: commercial radio reaches 40 million as digital listening grows

Commercial radio reached 40 million UK adults a week in the third quarter of 2026, according to the latest RAJAR figures, up from 39.7 million a year earlier. Across all stations, 51.2 million adults, or 87% of the population aged 15 and over, tuned in each week, and the commercial sector kept its lead over the BBC in both reach and listening hours, as Decision Marketing reported.

The numbers

RAJAR’s breakdown puts commercial radio’s weekly reach at 39.9 million, slightly down on 40.2 million in the second quarter, against 31.0 million for the BBC. Commercial stations took 55.7% of all listening hours, up from 55.1% in the previous quarter though below 56.0% a year earlier, while the BBC’s share slipped to 41.9%. Listeners spent a total of 1.034 billion hours a week with radio, an average of 20.2 hours each.

The bigger shift is in how people listen. RAJAR says 76% of listening hours are now digital, with DAB the largest single platform at 43% of all listening, and 45 million adults tune in on a digital platform each week. Radiocentre’s figures show online listening grew to 30.8% of all radio listening, from 29.7% a year earlier, ahead of AM and FM at 23.6%, with smart speakers accounting for 18.7%.

Commercial radio is moving faster than the market. The share of commercial listening on internet-connected platforms reached a new high of 34.1%, up from 33.5% a year earlier, according to Radiocentre.

Matt Payton, Radiocentre’s chief executive, said the results show “the ability of radio to deliver both scale and targeting for brands”, and that commercial radio is growing its listening hours through digital consumption and the resilience of broadcast platforms.

Why it matters

For advertisers, the headline reach figure matters less than the hours. Commercial stations hold more than half of all UK radio listening, and that share edged up on the previous quarter, so the audience is not just large but spending more of its time with ad-funded stations. That supports the argument Radiocentre has made for years, through research such as Re-evaluating Media led by Mark Barber, that planners undervalue the medium.

The digital shift also changes what radio can sell. With more than a third of commercial listening now on connected devices, the big groups can offer targeted and dynamic audio alongside traditional spots, which puts radio in the same conversation as podcasts and streaming audio. Brands planning 2027 budgets, against the backdrop of the latest UK ad spend figures, should treat audio as a reach channel and an addressable one at the same time.