Thursday, 14th May: According to the latest JNLR results released today, 3.46 million Irish adults listen to radio every weekday. JNLR/Ispos 2026-1 (April ’25 – March ’26)
The figures show Bauer Media Audio Ireland (BMAI) is Ireland’s largest commercial radio group with 2.26 million listeners each week and more than 1.5 million listeners every day across its portfolio of national, regional and local stations including Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN1038, SPIN South West, Cork’s Red FM, iRadio and Beat. BMAI’s Market Share for All Adults is 28.74%.
There was significant growth across BMAI’s two national stations, Today FM and Newstalk.
IMRO ‘National Station of the Year’ Today FM continued its growth trend, increasing Market Share to 9.6% (up 0.6% BoB) as well as Weekly Reach, which now stands at 954,000 (+13,000 BoB). Ireland’s most listened to commercial station now has 520,000 (+16,000 BoB) listeners tuning in every day.
The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show recorded the highest-ever listenership figures in the show’s history, now entertaining 232,000 listeners (+8,000 BoB), retaining its status as the most listened to show on commercial radio. Likewise, The Last Word with Matt Cooper achieved its highest result in 15 years, jumping to 192,000 (+8,000 BoB).
Dave Moore continues to grow his mid-morning audience to 206,000 (+3,000 BoB), while Louise Cantillon at lunchtime entertains an audience of 135,000 (+5,000 BoB).
In the afternoons, the hugely popular Ray Foley gained 7,000 new listeners, bringing his audience to 166,000.
This significant growth in Today FM audience figures is driven by the output across its flagship shows and its commitment to playing the music listeners’ love, deepening audience connection, and further reinforcing its position as the leading national commercial station.
Newstalk’s Daily Reach is 466,000 (+5,000 BoB), while Weekly Reach now stands at 846,000 (-3,000 BoB), and Market Share increased to 7.8% (+0.3% BoB).
Newstalk has seen a daytime surge in listenership, with an increase in audience numbers for Lunchtime Live with Andrea Gilligan, increasing to 114,000 (+5,000 BoB). Meanwhile, Sean Moncrieff boasts an uplift to 101,000 (+9,000 BoB).
The three new shows that launched in February of this year, showed a very strong performance, mirroring the hugely positive audience and media reaction to the major new changes.
Newstalk Breakfast, now hosted by Anton Savage, held firm at 158,000 (No Change BoB), The Claire Byrne Show, the timeslot formerly held by Pat Kenny, maintained its significant position in the market at 206,0000 (No Change BoB). Meanwhile, The Hard Shoulder with Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman now attracts an audience of 153,000 (+4,000 BoB), reinforcing the station’s continued appeal and listener connection.
Across the wider BMAI portfolio, several stations and programmes delivered notable performances and encouraging results.
SPIN1038 remains the most popular station in Dubin for 15-34 year olds. Steve K in the station’s drivetime slot demonstrated growth with 64,000 (+1,000 BoB). Meanwhile, Jamie & Faye in the evening also regained the leading nighttime position in the Dublin market for 15-34 year olds.
98FM maintains its market share at 5.3% while Leanne Hanafin, host of the 10am-1pm music show on 98FM, increased her audience to 29,000 in this survey (+3,000 BoB). The station also saw growth for its newly refreshed weekend schedule, and for Mark McCabe’s show from 4pm-8pm on Saturday, seeing an increase in both Reach (+4,000 BoB, +6,000 YoY) and AQH.
Red FM maintains its position as the Most Listened to station in Cork, with a Weekly Reach of 155,000 (-5,000 BoB) and Market Share of 18.9% (-0.4% BoB). The Neil Prendeville Show remains the Most Listened to show within the region with 73,000 (+1,000 BoB).
iRadio, broadcasting to 15 counties, remains the most popular station for 15-24- and 15–34-year-olds in the North East and North West regions.
For Beat, the station saw a small Market Share decrease to 14% (-0.8% BoB), however, the station remains the Most Listened to station in the South-East for 15-34- and 20–44-year-olds.
And, for SPIN South West, Eoghain Fitz remains the most listened-to drivetime show in the region, with an audience of 51,000 (-2,000 BoB).
Commenting on the figures, Chris Doyle, CEO of Bauer Media Audio Ireland said: ‘’It’s really encouraging to see this performance across the Bauer portfolio. It shows how well our teams understand their audiences and how much listeners value what we do on air every day. Audio delivers best when it’s relevant and trusted, and these results give us real confidence as we continue to build momentum for both listeners and advertisers.’’