Radio listenership in Ireland continues to hold strong with the average daily audience standing at just over 3.4m according to the latest JNLR figures published by Ipsos B&A and Radiocentre Ireland.
This is an increase of around 69,000 listeners on the period which covers July 2023 to June 2024. Overall, the JNLR shows that 90% of Irish adults and 86% of 15–34-year-olds listen to radio every week.
According to the research, the average adult is listening to radio content for 4.1 hours each day. When consideration is taken of the latest Irish Audio Report- also published by Ipsos B&A- live radio continues to dominate with a 74% share of total listening while music streaming has a 12% share with YouTube Music and podcast having a 7% and 3% share respectively.
The figures also show that 6.2% of all radio listening is now through a smart speaker while listening via a mobile device stands at 3.2%. For the younger 15 to 34 age cohort, 8.3% of their listening is through a smart speaker and 8.6% through a mobile device.
“It is clear that radio listening is booming in Ireland and these figures are a great reminder that Irish radio is a central part of people’s lives with brilliant content being consumed by millions of listeners every single day,” says Ciaran Cunningham, CEO of Radiocentre Ireland.
“All parts of the Irish population, from young to old are listening to radio in huge numbers because it is a key part of Irish daily life. Advertisers recognise the power of the medium with the latest Radiocentre Ireland revenue figures showing that for the January to June period, revenue to Irish radio operators came to €77.9m, up 2% on the same period last year,” Cunningham adds.
The latest JNLR book provided plenty of good news for both the independent commercial sector as well as the national public service broadcaster RTÉ.
“Independent radio stations are delighted with the results of the latest research,” says Michael Kelly, chief executive of Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI).
“This is welcome proof of the strength of radio as a medium, which is highly trusted and valued by Irish listeners. Radio is free to access and has a unique connection to listeners. It is responsive, interactive, and flexible for advertisers and listeners. Radio delivers news and current affairs, music and entertainment, sports coverage, information and much more. Most importantly, it provides companionship to millions of listeners in Ireland.”
Bauer Media
Of the commercial independent groups, Bauer Media Audio Ireland is the largest with a portfolio of national, regional and local stations including Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN1038, SPIN South West, Cork’s Red FM, iRadio and Beat. According to the latest JNLR, Bauer’s weekly audience stands at 2.26m across its stations while daily listenership stands at 1.51m people.
According to Bauer, it now has an all adults prime-time market share of 29.2% rising to 44% for 25–44-year-olds.
Some of the standout figures for Bauer show that Today FM now has a market share of 8.9% and a weekly reach of 973,000, representing a lift of 14,000 in the last year. Newstalk, meanwhile, continued to grow its market share which stands at 8.5% with the station’s weekly reach was up 39,000 to 861,000.
Newstalk also retains its status as the second most listened to radio station in the country with 508,000 listeners daily, up 42,000 in the last year. Elsewhere, the top rated The Pat Kenny Show retains its position as the most listened to show on commercial radio with 241,000 listeners tuning in daily.
Commenting on the results, Bauer Media Audio Ireland CEO Chris Doyle said: “We are thrilled for Bauer to reach this historic milestone, becoming the largest radio group by audience in Ireland. The achievement is a result of the dedication, creativity, and hard work of our entire team. Thanks also to our partners and clients for your continued trust and support, we look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional value and innovative solutions that drive success.”
RTE
The latest JNLR listenership figures show that RTÉ’s stations reach over 2m adults or 47% of the adult population each week
With the exception of three programmes on Bauer-owned stations (The Pat Kenny Show, Ian Dempsey and Dermot & Dave), RTE programmes account for the 17 of the top 20 most listened-to programmes on Irish radio. Morning Ireland remains Ireland’s most listened to radio programme with 465,000 listeners this book (+2,000 YoY).
“We are very proud that more than 2 million people choose to engage with our stations every week underlining again the important role public service media plays in Irish life. RTÉ broadcasts 17 of the top 20 radio programmes in Ireland across a wide variety of genres including news and current affairs, music and entertainment, and sport,” says Patricia Monahan, director of audio, RTÉ.
“RTÉ Radio 1 remains the only station with a weekly reach of over 1 million listeners, with gains of 2,000 listeners year-on-year. RTÉ 2FM has a weekly reach of 762,000, an increase of 35,000 year-on-year, and RTÉ lyric fm now reaches 314,000 listeners every week,” she adds.
Wireless
Wireless Ireland, meanwhile, recorded some solid growth, according to the latest JNLR. In Dublin, Q102 grew weekly reach by 22,000 year- on-year to 188,000, while FM104 also increased year-on-year to 260,000 listeners. In addition, its combined Cork stations 96fm and C103 offering reached 218,000 while its Limerick Live 95 station delivers 92,000 listeners. Meanwhile, while LMFM has 111,000 weekly listeners.
“Audio is in a very exciting place in Ireland right now and our strong audience numbers across our markets highlight the important role our brands are playing in Ireland’s key urban centres,” says Sean Barry, managing director, Wireless Ireland.
“These figures, alongside a very successful RAJAR performance from our Belfast based station U105 last month, gives us a very strong base from which to launch exciting new initiatives in 2025.
We’re also very happy to see then continuing audience growth on Q102 where the addition of Ryan Tubridy to the schedule has added listeners across the board,” he adds.
“We’re also very happy to see then continuing audience growth on Q102 where the addition of Ryan Tubridy to the schedule has added listeners across the board,” he adds.
Elsewhere, the JNLR also noted the ongoing strong performance of many local and regional stations with another strong performance from stations like Radio Nova, Sunshine and Classic Hits, the latter which achieved its hight weekly listenership in 15 years of 382,000 while Radio Nova with 254,000 listeners is now the top music station in the Dublin commuter belt.
According to Peter Smyth, CEO of IRS+, which represents 15 independent and local radio stations around the country: “We’re incredibly proud to see Sunshine 106.8 and Radio Nova leading the way in Dublin. This is a testament not only to the quality of their programming and connection with listeners but also to the hard work and dedication of our teams.
“As we continue to innovate in radio advertising and listener engagement, this success reinforces the vital role that local radio plays in Dubliners’ lives. We look forward to building on this momentum and delivering even more value for our advertisers and audiences alike.”
For more on the JNLR visit www.radiocentreireland.ie
