BBC Radio hits lowest listenership ever in last quarter of 2019
BBC Radio 1 lost around 585 000 listeners in the last three months of 2019.
“And, good morning everyone. Welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio 1”- Radio 1 opening message. Well, 52 years later and Radio 1 has hit its lowest listenership ever.
Serving as one of the BBC’s two flagship radio stations, Radio 1 specializes in popular music and current chart hits throughout the day and alternative genres including electronica, dance, hip hop and indie at night.
Sounds like a winning formula, right?
Unfortunately, the final quarter of 2019 saw Radio 1’s listenership drop below 9 million for the first time ever, reports show.
During the last three months of 2019, about 8.97 million weekly listeners tuned into Radio 1, down six or so percent (585 000 listeners) on the year.
Digital killed the radio star?
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, with the BBC stating that despite its rating downturn, Radio 1 is still the UK’s most popular station among listeners between the ages of 10 and 29.
So, why the slip? The BBC attributes the downturn to several factors, including the coverage of the December 2019 general election reported on by Newsbeat, Radio 1’s news program that airs for 30 min per day in two 15 min segments.
It’s also worth mentioning that between 2008 and 2011 a portion of Radio 1’s daily broadcast aired on Sirius in North America, reaching over 20 million Americans and Canadians. The station was then made available exclusively via Sirius’ web player until it was removed entirely from the North American market in 2014.
Despite the rise of podcasts and music streaming services, approximately 90 % of residents in the UK and America listen to stations like BBC Radio 1 weekly.
Sourced
