Another record low for Classic FM as BBC Radio 3 bounces back

Classic FM's audience has reached its lowest point on record, according to new figures from RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research). The figures, released today, cover the third quarter of 2024. Classic FM, launched in 1992, has quarterly listening figures listed on RAJAR's website dating back to 1999.

Since June 2024, Classic FM has lost 37,000 listeners, a 0.8% drop to 4.42 million. This marks Classic FM's lowest audience since RAJAR began reporting. The station has now posted record lows in 9 of the last 13 quarters, including falling below 5 million listeners for the first time. Classic FM's audience has dropped by over 1 million from its pre-pandemic level of 5.48 million in March 2020, a decline of 19.5%.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio 3 has gained 206,000 listeners since June 2024, an 11.2% increase, bringing its audience to 2.04 million. Historically, BBC Radio 3's audience has fluctuated between 1.7 million and 2.1 million. This quarter sees an increase of 59,000 listeners since the start of the pandemic, a 3.0% rise.

Before the pandemic, the gap between Classic FM and BBC Radio 3 was 3.5 million listeners. That gap has now narrowed by 1.13 million to 2.38 million, a reduction of 32.2%, largely due to Classic FM's audience decline.