Bauer REACHES 18 MILLION LISTENERS

Bauer continues as industry leader with record high listening via a digital device

Magic Network and Breakfast with Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott record best-ever performances

Absolute Radio and KISS Networks up year on year

Bauer’s biggest network Hits Radio Brand posts 6.2 million listeners

Absolute Radio Dave Berry Breakfast Show remains #1 national commercial show

• Bauer Media posts reach of 18 million
• National networks post growth including:
  • Record high for Magic (4.2 million up 8.3% YoY)
  • Absolute Radio (4.7 million up 1.1% YoY)
  • KISS (5.6 million up 0.1% YoY)

• Digital reach achieves record high at 13.3 million – growing rapidly at 10% YoY
• Bauer Media’s listening via a digital device leads the industry with a record high of 65.5% compared to commercial industry average of 53.9%
• Sustained year on year growth across digital-only brands, including:
  • Jazz FM (589,000 up 15.7% YoY)
  • Planet Rock (1.1 million up 5% YoY)

• Magic Radio Network records best-ever audience figures with 4.2 million listeners – growing 8.3% YoY
• Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott’s national Breakfast Show posts record listening figures of 1.5 million up 8.2% YoY 
• Digital-only extension stations continue to see rapid growth, including records for:
  • Mellow Magic (603,000 up 27.5% YoY)
  • Magic Chilled (337,000 up 25.7% YoY)

• Absolute Radio Network grows to 4.8 million listeners
• Dave Berry’s show remains the number one national commercial Breakfast Show with 2.2 million listeners – growing 3.1% YoY
• Absolute Radio main station posts 2.4 million listeners
• Digital-only extension stations continue to see growth including:
  • Absolute 80s (1.5 million – growing 0.3% YoY)
  • Absolute 90s (969,000 – growing 30% YoY) – record high
  • Absolute Classic Rock (773,000 – growing 14% YoY) – record high

• KISS Network records 5.6 million listeners
• KISS main station has 4.1 million listeners
• KISSTORY remains the biggest digital-only commercial station with 1.8 million listeners (up 5.3% YoY)
• KISS FRESH posts a record high with 620,000 listeners up 7.3%

• Bauer’s biggest network – Hits Radio Brand posts 6.2 million listeners
• Hits Radio national Breakfast Show with Gethin Jones, Gemma Atkinson and Dave Vitty reaches 347,000 listeners, up 70.1% YoY
• Greatest Hits Network reaches 1.2 million listeners – growing 5% YoY with growth across regional stations
• Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool, N West & North Wales posts a record 218,000 listeners – growing 15.3% YoY

Dee Ford, Group Managing Director Radio, Bauer Media, said, “It’s fantastic to see Commercial Radio being the driving force behind the UK’s love affair with radio. Bauer’s strategy of creating strong and distinctive networks is paying dividends. I’m particularly delighted that Magic has delivered its biggest ever audience, and to top that off, an extra quarter of a million listeners now tune in to Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott at Breakfast.

Bauer has long been the industry leader in digital listening and will continue to be on the front-foot by delighting audiences with new and distinctive services such as Scala Radio which launches on the 4^th of March”.

Source: RAJAR / Ipsos – MORI / RSMB, period Q4 2018, all stations and groups results are reported on their specified reporting period and TSA.

== Ends ==

For more info:

Cat Martin Communications Director, Bauer Media

E: cat.martin@bauermedia.co.uk

T: 020 7432 3317/07932 746 363

Amelia O’Shea, Bauer Media (Radio)

E:amelia.oshea@bauermedia.co.uk

T: 0207 432 3417 /07718 489 342