BBC Radio 4 Extra has passed 6 Music to become the biggest digital-only station in the UK.
The Radio 4 spin-off station reported a 12.6% rise in listeners to hit 2.2 million, surpassing 6 Music, which also managed a record quarter, according to the latest official listening figures from Rajar.
“I am delighted that the programmes we’ve chosen are capturing the imagination of more and more listeners – from comedy classics to the best and most exciting acts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and imaginative new hits from around the world such as the TED Radio Hour,” said Gwyneth Williams, controller of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.
BBC 6 Music, the first digital-only station to pass the 2 million weekly listeners mark, reported a record audience of 2.18 million, up 6.5% quarter-on-quarter.
Radio 5 Live’s digital spin-off, Sports Extra, also achieved a record, with listeners rising 6.3% to 1.7 million in part thanks to the Ashes series between England and Australia.
Radio 1 spin-off 1Xtra also surged by 19.9% to 1.15 million, the second highest audience the station has reported.
Absolute Radio 80s retained its position as the biggest commercial digital-only station, despite losing 2% of listeners quarter on quarter to 1.57 million.
There was less cheer for Kiss spin-off Kisstory, which saw its audience fall by 10.4% in the third quarter to 1.3 million.
Ford Ennals, the chief executive of Digital Radio UK, said the overall digital listening figures marked a “tipping point”.
A total of 41.9% of all radio listening is now via digital platforms, up from 37.8% in the same quarter in 2014, the lion’s share on digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio.
The majority, albeit only just, is still on analogue AM or FM, accounting for 50.4% of listening. A further 7.7% of listening is “unspecified” by respondents to the Rajar survey.
“The shift to digital listening is accelerating across the UK and the fact that listening on analogue platforms has declined to just over 50% of people is a tipping point,” said Ennals.
“This is reflected in the success of national BBC and commercial stations on digital. We are now counting down to the moment when the majority of all radio listening will be to digital.”
