Based on UK audio measurement company RAJAR’s just-released figures for first-quarter 2026, it would be understandable if radio execs across the region are singing along with one of the UK’s biggest hit songs this year, Bella Kay’s “iloveitiloveitiloveit.”
There is certainly a lot to love in RAJAR’s report, which right up top shows 87% of the UK’s age 15+ population, or 50.6 million adults, tuned to radio every week during Q1 2026. That’s the highest audience delivery since the first quarter of 2025 — when it was also 87% — and up more than a share point from Q4 2025.
According to RAJAR, the average listener tuned into 19.9 hours of live radio each week during the quarter, with average weekly hours listened to radio overall at the 1 billion mark.
RAJAR’s analysis for Q1 2026 also shows that 62% of UK listening takes place at home, with 26% in vehicles and 13% at work or elsewhere. The report also notes that nearly two-thirds (65%) of smart speaker users use it for listening to radio, with 21% of those users listening to radio every day on their smart speaker.
In terms of monthly listening habits, the report finds more than a third (36%) listen to podcasts, 27% to radio via smartphone or tablet, and 19% to audio programs on-demand at least once per month.