UK commercial radio advertising revenues hit new peak | WARC | The Feed

UK commercial radio advertising revenues hit new peak

UK commercial radio ad revenues hit an all-time high in 2021 at £718.7m, a 25% year-on-year boost more than recovering the ground lost in the first year of the pandemic, according to figures from industry body Radiocentre.

Takeaways

• Digital ad formats were the fastest-growing element and now represent around 10% of total radio ad revenue.
• Entertainment and Leisure, Government, Finance, and Motors continue to be the highest-spending sectors for radio advertising
• Travel & Transport saw a 87% year-on-year growth in spend as lockdowns eased and the travel industry was able to return to business. 
• There has also been significant growth in spend from individual advertisers, including online motors brands WeBuyAnyCar and Cinch, supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and technology firms Samsung and Amazon. 

Context

RAJAR figures for Q4 2021 show: 

• commercial radio’s share of total listening time stands at 48%;
• 49.5m people tuned in each week, representing 89% of the adult population.

Key quote

“These figures show radio has a really strong foundation to build on as we come out the other side of the pandemic and demonstrates that investment in digital platforms continue to pay off” – Ian Moss, CEO of Radiocentre.

Sourced from Radiocentre