According to the latest data from the RAJAR organization, BBC stations have solidified their position as leaders in the British radio market. In the first quarter of 2026, 31.4 million listeners tuned into BBC live broadcasts weekly, representing a reach of 54% of the population. Market share increased to 43.4% compared to the previous quarter. The results for the first time also include data from new digital stations on the DAB+ platform, which were launched in September 2025.
BBC Radio 2 remains the most listened-to radio channel in the UK with 12.6 million listeners weekly. Vernon Kay plays a key role in this success, with his morning show being the most listened-to program in the country with 6.6 million listeners. BBC Radio 4 also performed well, maintaining its position as the number one spoken-word station with 9.15 million listeners. Its flagship news program, Today, saw a 4% increase to a total of 5.79 million listeners.
The bet on digital expansion of existing brands proved to be a strategic move. The new stations Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems, and Radio 3 Unwind showed a strong start, with an average of around 400,000 people tuning into each. The overall brand of Radio 1 thus reaches 8 million listeners, with Greg James's morning show dominating among young audiences with 4.23 million listeners. A significant year-on-year increase of 56% was recorded by 5 Live Sports Extra, helped by a busy sporting calendar at the beginning of the year.
“The BBC remains the number one radio brand and I am delighted that 2026 has started so impressively. The strength of live radio along with record growth in on-demand content on the BBC Sounds app underlines how the BBC is adapting to the changing media landscape,” said Kate Phillips, Director of BBC Content.
In addition to traditional broadcasting, the digital platform BBC Sounds also achieved record results. Between January and March, it recorded 718 million plays of music and podcasts, a 5% increase from last year. BBC podcasts and programs were also downloaded a total of 231 million times on third-party platforms. Other successes include BBC 6 Music, which increased its listenership by 11% to 2.6 million people, and local BBC stations in England, which reached over 7 million listeners.