Britain is still tuning in: 51.2 million adults listen to radio each week

Britain is still making time for live radio. New audience figures released on Thursday 29 October put its weekly reach at 51.2 million adults, or 87% of the UK population aged 15 and over. For anyone whose day starts with a breakfast show and ends with music on the journey home, the latest results describe a habit that remains firmly part of everyday life.

The Q3 2026 release from RAJAR, the industry’s audience measurement body, records 1.034 billion hours of radio listening in an average week. Each listener spends an average of 20.2 hours with live radio. Those are national figures for the medium as a whole, rather than an audience claim for any individual station.

Digital radio means more than an app

RAJAR’s infographic says digitally enabled platforms account for around 76% of listening hours. That category includes DAB radios, digital television, websites, apps and smart speakers. Online listening accounts for roughly 31% of all radio hours. A kitchen DAB set and a phone stream therefore both belong to the digital total, even though they work differently.

That distinction matters when headlines talk about radio moving online. DAB remains a substantial way of listening in its own right. Digital does not automatically mean a subscription, a playlist or an on-demand programme: a live broadcast heard through an app is still live radio. The equipment changes, while listeners can continue to share the same programme at the same moment.

The big breakfast shows remain a daily fixture

The BBC reports that Radio 2 attracts 12.7 million weekly listeners, with Sara Cox’s breakfast programme reaching 6.4 million. Vernon Kay’s show reaches 6.8 million. Across BBC radio, the corporation reports around 31 million weekly listeners and a 41.9% share of listening hours. Radio 6 Music reaches 2.6 million, while Radio 3 is close to two million.

Commercial broadcaster Global reports four million weekly listeners for Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden, and 2.7 million for Capital Breakfast with Jordan, Chris and Siân. It also says Heart, Capital, LBC and Smooth occupy the top four commercial station positions for weekly reach in London. These are the broadcasters’ published summaries of the latest RAJAR release, and comparisons should always retain the same audience definition and geographical area.

Why “biggest” can mean different things

A station’s weekly reach counts people who listened during the survey week; it is not the number tuned in simultaneously. RAJAR asks respondents to record a quarter-hour when they have heard at least five minutes of a station within that period. Listening share answers a different question: how much of the total listening time belongs to a service in its measured area.

A brand covering several related stations is also different from a single station. Someone can listen to more than one service during the week, so adding every station’s audience together would count some people repeatedly. RAJAR’s glossary also explains that stations can report over three, six or twelve months. A neat league table needs those details before it becomes a fair comparison.

What listeners can take from the figures

For London listeners, the useful takeaway is the variety of ways to keep a favourite programme close. Before changing a listening routine, check the station’s own website for its available platforms and any local coverage information. An app stream depends on an internet connection; a broadcast receiver depends on reception. Neither a national audience total nor a network’s London ranking tells you what reception will be like at your address.

The results also offer a reminder to look beyond a single headline. Reach tells us how widely a service is used, hours describe time spent listening, and a presenter’s programme figure covers its own slot. None is a review of the music, conversation or companionship you personally enjoy. The best station for your morning remains the one you want to hear when you press play.

Figures: RAJAR/Ipsos/RSMB, Q3 2026, with programme and network summaries published by the BBC and Global on 29 October. National audience figures above are not measurements of Energy Radio’s audience.

Sources: RAJAR Q3 infographic · RAJAR definitions · BBC results · Global results