The latest Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) results for the period January to December 2024 reveal continued growth across Ireland’s radio landscape, with more than 3.4 million adults tuning in daily.
RTÉ remains Ireland’s most listened-to radio network, reaching over 2 million adults weekly, with strong audience growth among younger listeners.
RTÉ Radio 1 retains its position as the only station with over 1 million weekly listeners (1.387 million, +24,000 YoY).
RTÉ 2FM is the leading station for 15-34-year-olds, while RTÉ lyric fm continues to grow, reaching 323,000 listeners weekly.
RTÉ holds 18 of the top 20 radio programmes in Ireland. “Morning Ireland” remains the most listened-to program (466,000 listeners). RTÉ 2FM sees strong audience growth, with “2FM Breakfast” gaining 10,000 listeners (152,000 total).
RTÉ lyric fm’s “Marty in the Morning” reaches a record 71,000 listeners (+15,000 YoY).
RTÉ credits this success to its commitment to engaging content and new talent, with further programming changes expected to build on this momentum.
Around the independent stations
WLR FM has recorded its highest listenership figures ever, with daily reach increasing by 5,000 to 45,000 and weekly reach hitting a three-year peak of 66,000.
The station maintains a strong market share of 33.3%.
CEO Michael Byrne celebrated the results, stating, “These figures reaffirm radio’s relevance and the loyalty of our audience.”
Radio Nova remains the top music station in Dublin and its commuter belt, boasting an 8.2% market share. The station reached a record 264,000 weekly listeners (+10,000) and 154,000 daily listeners (+14,000). CEO Kevin Branigan hailed Nova’s success, calling it “a giant on the radio landscape.”
Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio has reached an all-time high of 387,000 weekly listeners. The figures are the latest in a series of positive JNLR books for the station.
CEO Kevin Branigan said, “We’re very enthused by these latest JNLR ratings. We’ve been working hard on growing Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio and it’s gratifying to see us reach all-time high listenership like this in such a competitive marketplace.”
Sunshine 106.8 recorded its best-ever listenership figures in its 24-year history. CEO Seán Ashmore expressed pride in the station’s success, stating, “Dublin loves to relax with Sunshine 106.8.”
Newstalk continues to gain traction, now reaching 871,000 listeners weekly (+10,000) and 512,000 daily (+4,000), making it the second most-listened-to station in the country. The Pat Kenny Show remains the top commercial radio programme with 237,000 daily listeners.
Managing Editor Eric Moylan attributed the growth to “engaging discussions that resonate with our audience.”
Despite a slight decline in numbers, Today FM remains Ireland’s top commercial radio station with 953,000 weekly listeners.
The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show leads the station’s programming with 202,000 daily listeners.
Managing Editor Fyona Smith emphasised Today FM’s focus on “delivering top-tier entertainment and journalism.”
James Brownlow, Managing Editor Music & Entertainment added: “In a period defined by some of the most pivotal news and current affairs moments in Ireland and across the globe, Today FM’s top-line performance held strong.”
As the country’s largest radio group, Bauer Media now commands a prime-time market share of 29% and a combined weekly reach of 2.2 million. Stations under its umbrella, including Newstalk, Today FM, and Red FM, continue to perform well, with highlights such as Red FM’s Neil Prendeville Show growing to 82,000 daily listeners.
SPIN 1038 in Dublin holds a 6.8% market share and reaches 254,000 weekly listeners. SPIN Hits with Steve K grew by 3,000 to 65,000.
98FM maintains a 5.4% market share, with 98FM Breakfast with Rebecca & Brendan growing to 47,000 (+5,000 BoB / +12,000 YoY).
Cork’s Red FM increased its market share to 21.9% and weekly reach to 180,000 (+6,000 BoB). The Neil Prendeville Show leads with 82,000 listeners (+4,000 BoB), while Home Run with Colm O’Sullivan gained 55,000 (+6,000 BoB).
SPIN South West’s market share rose to 11.9%, reaching 160,000 listeners. Fully Charged with Ed & Valerie grew to 33,000 (+3,000 BoB), and SPIN Hits with Eoghain Fitz climbed to 55,000 (+9,000 BoB).
iRadio, spanning fifteen counties, recorded an 8.3% market share and 337,000 weekly listeners. Dave & Fionnuala remained the top show with 87,000 listeners (+4,000 BoB / +11,000 YoY), while Cooper & Oonagh on Breakfast hit 70,000 (+1,000 BoB).
BEAT 102 103 saw significant gains, with a market share of 16.5% and a weekly reach of 172,000. Beat Breakfast rose to 56,000 (+6,000 BoB), and Beat Drive reached 49,000 (+6,000 BoB).
Bauer Media Audio Ireland CEO Chris Doyle stated, “These JNLR results highlight the continued strength of our stations and the connection with our listeners.”
In Tipperary, 80,000 adults now tune into Tipp FM each week, which is an increase of 3,000 from the previous year.
Key points from the latest book:
90% of all adults and 85% of 15–34-year-olds listen to radio every week.
The daily listenership levels are also hugely impressive with the daily weekday audience now at 3.47 million, growing by 72,000 listeners.
69% of 15-34 year olds listen to radio each weekday, while daily weekday listening levels for the hard to reach 15-24 year old cohort is also very impressive with 65% listening each weekday.
Listening levels to local and regional radio continues to be very strong with over 2.2 million adults listening to their local or regional station every single weekday.
In terms of how people listen, 12% of all radio listening is now through a connected device with 7% of all listening through a smart speaker while listening via a mobile device is at 3%.
For the younger 15 to 34 age cohort, 22% of all their radio listening is now through a connected device with a smart speaker accounting for 8% of all 15-34 listening, while listening through a mobile device also accounts for 8% of all radio listening for this audience.
23-092916-JNLR-Sales House Report 2024-4 (Final) shows that Radio is enjoying record levels of listenership with 3.9 million people now listening to radio every week, the highest weekly listenership ever recorded, growing by 105,000 listeners compared to the same 12 month period previously (Jan-Dec ’23).
The average weekday audience listening at any time between 7am to 7pm is now at 1,095,000, the highest recorded average audience ever. This clearly shows that despite competition from so much media, Irish people have a deep passion for live radio and listen in increasing numbers across broadcast and online platforms. […]
