News Broadcasting has reinforced its position as the UK’s leading digital broadcaster with another set of strong RAJAR results for the survey period ending April 5th 2026. The group, including national brands talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK, Times Radio and Talk, as well as U105 in Northern Ireland, delivered a share of 6.3 million weekly listeners and 45 million listening hours.

Scott Taunton, News UK EVP, President of Broadcasting, commented: “These latest RAJAR results reinforce News Broadcasting’s position as the leader in the market for digital-first listening, with our brands continuing to set the pace for multi-platform innovation. As we look toward a historic summer of sport, talkSPORT’s status as official FIFA audio rights partner for the World Cup – broadcasting all 104 matches – perfectly positions us to deliver unparalleled scale across both audio and video.”

“At the same time, we are seeing a clear appetite for expert analysis and brave opinion; listeners are increasingly turning to Times Radio and Talk to make sense of a turbulent global political climate. Whether it is breaking world news or elite sporting moments, our 87 per cent digital listening share proves that our audience is following our world-class content wherever and however they choose to consume it,” added Taunton.

The talkSPORT network remains the top radio destination for sports fans, achieving 3.6 million listeners, an increase by 3.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter, with talkSPORT recording 3.3 million weekly listeners, an increase by 1.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter. talkSPORT2 listeners tuned in for a record breaking 1.6 million listening hours, an increase of 15 per cent year-on-year, with 549k weekly listeners, an increase of 19.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter.

As an official FIFA audio rights partner for the upcoming World Cup in North America, talkSPORT will broadcast all 104 matches, complemented by dedicated visualised shows from the US.

Times Radio has cemented its position as a leading destination for listeners seeking expert analysis with 604k weekly listeners, up 11.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter, and tuning in for 5 million hours, an increase of 12 per cent quarter-on-quarter. This makes it the fastest-growing national news station over the past quarter.

News and opinion brand Talk achieved 6.1 million listening hours, an increase of 41 per cent compared to the previous year, and 560k weekly listeners, up 15.5 per cent year-on-year.

The Virgin Radio UK network reached 1.8 million listeners. The network’s Virgin 80s continues to entertain listeners recording 445k listening hours, an increase of 51.4 per cent year-on-year, and 277k weekly listeners, up 5.3 per cent year-on-year.

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show continues to attract some of the world’s biggest stars, welcoming actors such as Jack O’Connell, Bradley Cooper and Chris Hemsworth, and pop stars Nicole and Natalie Appleton, while the new TFI Unplugged YouTube series has driven a surge in digital growth, contributing 4 million views on the platform this quarter. This digital expansion is further bolstered by a new TFI Unplugged partnership with Channel 4.

Northern Ireland’s U105 recorded a total reach of 228k listeners, an increase of 8.6 per cent year-on-year and 1.85 million hours listened.

Meanwhile, rival Global also reported a strong set of RAJAR listening figures for Q1 2026, delivering 29 million weekly listeners, 279 million listening hours and a 27.7 per cent share.

Heart was again the UK’s biggest commercial radio brand, drawing 12.5 million weekly listeners.

Global has the top three commercial radio brands with Heart, Capital and Smooth. It also has the top two commercial breakfast shows (Heart and Capital), and the top three commercial stations in London with Heart, LBC and Capital.

LBC recorded its biggest ever audience with a record-breaking 3.6 million people tuning in across the UK every week.

Capital reaches 8.8 million weekly listeners with its hit music format, outperforming Radio 1 by more than 1.4 million weekly listeners. Other Global brands including Radio X, Smooth, Classic FM and Gold, alongside newer digital stations such as Classic FM Calm – which now reaches a record 386,000 listeners each week – also contribute to the Group’s huge reach.

Simon Pitts, Group CEO at Global, said: “These results show the enduring popularity of Global’s market-leading radio brands and I’m particularly pleased to see LBC deliver a record-breaking audience at a time when trusted news, analysis and live conversation matter so much. Thank you to every Globaller whose work powers these results, and to our listeners for choosing Global every day.”

James Rea, Chief Content Officer at Global, sadded: “It’s fantastic to see radio right at the centre of millions of people’s lives and part of their daily routine. LBC’s record audience shows the power of live news and conversation when world events are setting the agenda. Across all our brands, Global’s amazing teams are delivering outstanding content every day.”

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Digital Radio, Research

Tags: radio, rajar, talkSPORT, virgin