31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
BBC Radio 2 suffers hit as rivals gain traction
Radio 2 has lost nearly half a million listeners since its new weekday schedule launched, with its weekly audience falling to 12.62 million for April to June, the lowest total since autumn 2021.
The station's flagship breakfast show, now presented by Scott Mills, also saw a dip in listeners to 6.22 million, although it retains its position as the UK's most popular national radio breakfast programme.
Despite the overall decline, Radio 2 maintains its status as the UK's most listened-to single radio station, with Vernon Kay 's mid-morning show attracting the largest audience across all UK radio programmes.
The BBC's overall share of radio listening time in the UK has decreased to 42.1 per cent, down from 48.1 per cent three years ago.
While commercial network Greatest Hits saw a drop in listeners, some smaller news-based stations like Times Radio and GB News reported year-on-year increases in their audience figures.
