The BBC has retained its position as the UK's most popular radio brand, with 31 million people tuning in weekly during the third quarter of 2025, according to new figures from RAJAR and BBC Sounds. The broadcaster's share of listening stood at 42% for the period from 23 June to 14 September.
BBC Radio 2 remains the nation's biggest single station, attracting 12.8 million listeners, up 1.3% from the previous quarter. The Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Scott Mills is the UK's largest breakfast programme with 6.2 million listeners, while Vernon Kay's show is the most listened to overall, with 6.6 million, an increase of 32,000.
BBC Radio 6 Music, the biggest digital-only station, saw its audience rise to 2.7 million from 2.6 million, with Nick Grimshaw's breakfast show reaching 1.3 million weekly listeners. Radio 1 remains the top station for young audiences, with 4.17 million tuning in for Greg James's breakfast show, up slightly from 4.15 million.
BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra had a strong quarter, boosted by breaking news and major sporting events. 5 Sports Extra's audience grew by 68%, driven by Test Match Special coverage of the England vs India Test series, as well as the England Women's Euro 2025 final victory and the Women's Rugby Union World Cup.
BBC Sounds recorded an 8.5% year-on-year increase in plays, totalling 675 million across all content. New titles such as Shadow World: The Grave Robbers and What's Up Docs, alongside favourites like Newscast, contributed to a record quarter for podcast listening. The platform's average weekly audience reached 5.1 million, peaking at 5.4 million during the Ryder Cup week.
BBC Radio 4 remains the leading speech radio station, reaching nearly 9 million listeners each week. Kate Phillips, BBC Chief Content Officer, said: 'As the UK's number one radio brand, our stations continue to thrive... The success of our digital strategy is clear to see with BBC Sounds continuing to grow.'
