The latest JNLR/Ipsos B&A survey highlights the powerful connection between radio and the Irish public, with millions tuning in each day to a medium that plays a central role in Irish life, delivering strong audiences and deep daily engagement across the country.
Almost 3.5m adults tune into radio each weekday, according to the latest JNLR/Ipsos B&A survey.
The survey, notes that 78% of adults listen to radio each weekday, while 90% of adults listen every week and that radio continues to perform strongly across younger audiences despite growing media choice. Some 66% of 15–34-year-olds listen each weekday, while daily listening among 15–24s remains very strong at 61%, representing 421,000 young listeners tuning in each weekday, according to the Ipsos B&A survey.
The survey also found that listening to local and regional radio remains a cornerstone of Irish media, with 2.3m adults tuning into their local or regional station every weekday. “Radio also continues to dominate the wider audio landscape, accounting for 74% of total audio listening time, far ahead of streaming and podcasts,” Radiocentre Ireland noted.
These strong results come as the industry celebrates World Radio Day today (February 13) -a global moment recognising “radio’s unique ability to connect communities, build emotional bonds, and capture audience attention in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.”
Other key results from the latest JNLR/Ipsos B&A survey include:
- 90% of all adults and 84% of 15–34-year-olds listen to radio every week.
- 66% of 15–34-year-olds listen each weekday, while daily listening among the hard-to-reach 15–24-year-old cohort remains strong at 61%.
- 77% of ABC1 adults listen to radio each weekday, while the figure for the main shopper is 80%.
- Listening to local and regional radio remains very strong, with 2.3 million adults tuning into their local or regional station every weekday.
- 96% of adults listen to audio every week. Live radio accounts for 74% of total audio time, followed by music streaming (13.5%), YouTube Music (6%), and podcasts (3.5%).
- 12% of all radio listening is via connected devices — 8% through a smart speaker and 3% via a mobile device. Among 15–34s, 17% of listening is via connected devices with 9% of all listening through smart speaker and 7% through mobile.
The latest JNLR book was welcomed by all Irish commercial and public service broadcasters with many reporting market share and programming gains across the day.
RTÉ
The latest JNLR shows some positive gains for RTÉ Radio . Its hare for all adults has risen to 20.3%, and growth among 15-34s is strong, up from 6.6% to 7.3%. In addition, RTÉ says that there are more people listening to RTÉ Radio 1 now than in the last book, up 12,000 to 1,388,000 weekly listeners. For the first time, RTÉ Radio 1 now has four flagship shows with over 400,000 listeners, led by Morning Ireland.
Elsewhere, RTÉ lyric fm continues to grow from an audience share of 2.6% to 3.1% while RTÉ2FM experienced a small dip which it attributes to a schedule changes last year .
For its part, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has 103,000 weekly listeners, according to the JNLR book.
Speaking on the latest figures, Patricia Monahan, Director of Audio, RTÉ said: “The new Radio 1 schedule is all about delivering for the audience, and this book shows that RTÉ Radio 1 is delivering across seven days and a wide variety of genres. With four flagship shows now attracting over 400,000 listeners, it’s clear that more and more people are making the move to Radio 1. Lyric fm continues to show exceptional appeal to audiences all over Ireland, growing its share a remarkable half a percentage point in the last 12 months.”
Meanwhile, Dan Healy, Head of RTÉ 2FM, said: “We have experienced a small dip in our adult market share, which is not surprising when something new is introduced to a schedule. In February last year we introduced a new breakfast and evening drive show. Our evening drive show with Doireann Garrihy has had a solid start, and since October, Demi Isaac and Mikey O’Reilly have done very well holding the fort in that slot while Doireann is on maternity leave.”
Bauer Media Audio Ireland
It was a good book for Bauer, Ireland’s largest commercial broadcaster which now has 2.27m weekly listeners and more than 1.5m listeners every day across its portfolio of stations including Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN1038, SPIN South West, Cork’s Red FM, iRadio and Beat.
Bauer’s market share for all adults is 28.1% and when it comes to 20-44 year olds, this rises to 41.6%, according to the JNLR.
Of these stations, Today FM had a market share of 9% (+0.2%) while Newstalk’s share stood at 7.5% (-0.1%) and recorded a weekly reach of 941,000 (+11,000) BoB). Today FM also now has 504,000 (+1,000 BoB) listeners tuning in every day. For Newstalk, the figure is 461,000 while its weekly reach stands at 849,000 (+17,000).
Once again, The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show remains the most listened to show on commercial radio. The award-winning Breakfast show increased its audience by 6,000 to 224,000.
Elsewhere within the Bauer portfolio, 98FM saw its market share grow to 5.3% while SPIN1038 grew its share to 5.5%.
Commenting on the results, Bauer Media Audio Ireland CEO Chris Doyle said:
“This is another strong set of results for Bauer and for the wider audio sector. Our stations continue to earn the trust and attention of millions of listeners every day, and that’s a foundation we never take for granted. As the market evolves, we’re accelerating our investment in digital audio and new ways for audiences and advertisers to engage with us. With our combination of scale, talent and innovation, Bauer is exceptionally well positioned to shape the next phase of audio in Ireland.”
Onic
Outside the two biggest audio broadcasters, Onic stations reach amounted to 782,000 (17.6%) of adults every week, with 511,000 listening to Onic brands every day, according to the JNLR.
In Dublin, FM104 had 274,000 weekly listeners (- 4,000) and a 7.4% market share, while Q102 reaches 172,000 weekly with a 4.7% share.
Cork’s 96FM, meanwhile, has 112,000 daily listeners and 147,000 weekly, with market share up 2.4 % (YoY) to 17%.
According to Mark Cunning, Group Content Director of Onic, “These results reaffirm that Onic’s strategy of delivering high-quality content is resonating with Irish listeners.”
Other Highlights
The latest JNLR book once again highlights the strong performance of local, regional and multi-city stations around the country.
“The latest JNLR figures reflect the continued relevance of well-established radio brands, particularly those with a clear sense of identity and a strong connection to their audience. Stations like Radio Nova show how consistency and focus can deliver sustained listenership over time,” said Peter Smyth, CEO of IRS+ the independent sales house which represents 12 stations around the country.
“Stations represented by IRS+ recorded stable performances across the country, with a number of services continuing to command strong weekly reach and market share within their core franchise areas. These include Radio Kerry, Highland Radio, Shannonside FM, South East Radio, Midlands 103, Tipp FM and Clare FM, all of which remain among the most listened-to stations in their respective regions,” he added.
In Dublin, IRS+ represents Sunshine 106.8 and Radio Nova, both of which continue to perform strongly in a competitive market. Radio Nova is now the city’s leading music station, recording almost 30% more share of listening than FM104 and almost double the share of Today FM, according to IRS+. Its breakfast programme, Morning Glory, is now almost 10% ahead of its nearest competitor, marking a notable shift in Dublin’s breakfast radio landscape.
He added that the results highlight the ongoing role of radio as part of a broader media mix, particularly at local and regional level.
Elsewhere Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio has increased its market share for the sixth time in a row, bringing it up to 6.8% on the back of strong performances from shows like Gareth O’Callaghan on Saturday morning and Colm & Lucy in the morning slot.
“We are so gratified by the continued increases in listenership and market share that we have experienced in recent JNLR books and we really owe it all to our listeners for continuing to listen in such large numbers”, said Keven Brannigan, CEO.
Meanwhile, WLR which is now owned by dmg media Ireland, now has a weekly reach of 73,000 listeners +7,000) listeners year-on-year, and further growth compared to the previous book.
“We’re absolutely delighted with these results. It shows that people are not only tuning in but staying with us. The team across the station has done outstanding work, and these figures reflect the connection WLR continues to have with listeners across Waterford,” said Michael Byrne, CEO, WLR FM.
Radio Nova is the leading music radio station in the competitive Dublin marketplace, with almost 30% more share of listening than FM104 and almost double that of Today FM.
Reacting to the news that they’ve got the biggest breakfast show in Dublin, PJ Gallagher said “After Jim McCabe tolerating everything with me for such a long time it’s absolutely fantastic to see him get something out of it after all this hard work and thanks to him bringing me along for the ride. I absolutely love working with Jim and it’s just such a nice thing to have that number one beside his name now because it’s definitely not me that deserves it as anyone who listens to the show will know.”
Jim McCabe said: “Such amazing news! I actually thought PJ was a bit overcome. He turned bright red – like a strawberry! Turned out it was just trapped wind but still!”
Tipp FM’s Market Share has climbed almost 10% year‑on‑year. The station now reaches 88,000 listeners every week in Tipperary, an increase of 8,000 people in just 12 months. Programme Director Stephen Keogh says the results are a testament to the bond between the station and the people of Tipperary.
Radio Kerry has recorded significant growth – the station now reaches 90,000 listeners each week, with market share increasing from 54% to 57.2%. Daily reach has grown to 48.9%, while Average Quarter Hour listenership stands at 24,708.
Commenting on the results, Radio Kerry Group CEO Fiona Stack said: “We are absolutely delighted with these figures. They reflect the incredible loyalty of our listeners and the dedication of our entire team. In a competitive and changing media landscape, local content, trusted news and strong community engagement remain central to what we do.”
