The latest JNLR* radio listenership figures have been released today. Beat continues to be the most-listened to radio station among its target market of 15-34s in Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary. 157,000 people tune into their number one music station each week.
Beat’s flagship show, Beat Breakfast, has held firm on its previous record-breaking results with a whopping 50,000 people waking up with their mates Niall and Sho every morning from 7am. Beat’s Big Lunch and Beat at Work PM with Michelle Heffernan broadcasts to 42,000 listeners every afternoon while Darren Rice has held on to an impressive 46,000 on Beat Drive, across a twelve-month period.
The all-new Beat studios
Old Skool Sunday has smashed all previous weekend records on the station, with a massive 59,000 people tuning in to hear Pete Windle blast out nostalgic tracks, each week. This is the highest listenership for a single show on Beat. Sport is also thriving at the weekends, with 17,000 people listening to SportsBeat Extra from 5:30pm on a Saturday evening; the majority of whom stay for the entire show.
Speaking following the release of the figures, Beat’s CEO & Programme Director Gabrielle Cummins, says: “Whether you want to hear brand new music, the biggest Old School tracks or feel a part of the craic and catch up on the latest news or sport in the South East, 157,000 people know they can get all of this and more from Beat. We don’t take these market-leading numbers for granted. We’re always striving to do better for our loyal audiences on air and our 850,000 followers online. We consistently review how we do what we do & explore alternative ways to attract new people to the brand.”
The figures demonstrate the regional station continues to thrive across the board with a market share of 42.6% among 15-34-year-olds & a share of 32.1% among 20-44-year-olds. These figures are significantly ahead of Today FM & 2FM in those demographics across the South East. Beat also reaches more 20-44-year-olds daily, in each of the five counties than any of its local competitor stations. Market share refers to the length of time people listen to Beat across the day.
How radio listeners access audio is changing too and Beat continues to evolve in tandem with these changes in behaviour. Nationally, 5.2% of all adults listening to radio is now through a smart speaker while listening via a mobile device accounts for 3.3% of all radio listening. For the 15 to 34 age cohort, this increases to 8.2% of listening through a smart speaker and 6.5% through a mobile device. Beat’s in-house digital listening research complements these national findings. During the month of October 2022, Beat’s digital followers consumed over 268,000 listening hours to Beat, either via the app or traditional website.
The ability to access content easily and the quality and popularity of Irish radio is shown by this JNLR release reporting that the average adult is listening to radio content for over 4.3 hours each day.
Radio is also the original social media. Irish radio has over 12.3 million social connections. Beat is a member of Radiocentre Ireland and its CEO Ciarán Cunningham has commented on these latest positive results for radio in general, in Ireland:
“I am delighted that the JNLR listenership data released today shows clearly the huge power and popularity of radio among the Irish population, whether they’re listening at home, in the car, on a mobile or a smart speaker. It is also a reflection of the amazing mix of entertainment, music, news, sport and commentary provided by all Irish radio stations every single day. Radio listening is booming and today’s figures are a great reminder that Irish radio is such a central part of people’s lives.”
