Global celebrates incredible RAJAR results as Capital, Heart, Radio X smash records

Global delivered an incredible set of RAJAR figures for Quarter 1 (1 January – 31 March 2024), with a record-breaking 27.6 million people tuning in each week to live radio across Global’s brands, with huge gains on reach, hours and share in the last quarter and year-on-year. It is the most popular commercial radio group in the UK with listeners enjoying a record-breaking 266 million hours of radio and a best-ever 26.1% share across brands including Heart, Capital, LBC, Smooth Radio, Radio X and Classic FM. 

The statistics for the company are incredible… 

GLOBAL

• With 27.6 million listeners tuning in to Global’s radio brands each week, it is the number one commercial radio company in the UK.

• Global has a new record share of 26.1%.

• Hours are 266 million, making it the most popular commercial radio group. 

• Online listening overtakes analogue FM/AM listening for the first time on all radio, with the highest ever online listening share (27.8%) compared to analogue (27%), mainly down to growth in commercial radio. Global Player, the official app for all of Global’s brands, allows listeners to enjoy both audio and video from its radio brands, as well as award-winning podcasts, and expertly-curated playlists, in one place in app, web and smart speakers.  
   

HEART

• Heart strengthens its position as the number one commercial radio brand as it celebrates a record-breaking 12.4 million weekly listeners, adding 1.1 million in the last year and increasing in reach, hours and share year-on-year. 

• The Heart brand beats Radio 1 by more than 5 million listeners.  

• Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden is the biggest commercial radio and breakfast show in the UK with 4.2 million weekly listeners increasing in reach, hours and share year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter. The show beats Radio 1 Breakfast by more than 200,000 listeners. 

• Heart’s decades stations, Heart 70s (727,000), Heart 80s (1.9m), and Heart 00s (994,000), all celebrate record-breaking figures. 

CAPITAL

• The UK’s no.1 hit music brand reaches a massive 8.3 million weekly listeners adding 469,000 listeners year-on-year. 

• Capital Breakfast reaches a huge 2.5 million listeners. This includes Roman Kemp’s final show as he handed over the mic to Jordan North for the All New Capital Breakfast show which launched on April 8th.

• Capital Chill hits record-breaking reach with 190,000 weekly listeners, increasing in reach and hours quarter-on-quarter.

• Capital XTRA, home to the biggest hip-hop and RnB has smashed its previous record and now has more than 2 million people tuning in across the UK every week. It has more than double the audience of BBC Radio 1Xtra.  

• Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie has 624,000 listeners, increasing in reach and hours year-on-year. 

SMOOTH RADIO  

• Smooth Radio celebrates its highest ever audience figures, with a record 6.5 million people listening each week, adding 363,000 in the past three months. Its reach, hours and share have increased both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. 

• Smooth’s Kate Garraway celebrates her best-ever figures, reaching a record 2.6 million listeners. 

• Smooth Country has grown in reach, hours and share both in the last quarter and year-on-year, with a new weekly audience of 358,000.

• In its first set of results since launching in January, Smooth Relax reaches 348,000 people.

• Smooth London again smashes the 1 million listener mark.