Thursday 13th August 2026:According to the latest JNLR results released today (JNLR/Ipsos 2026-2 (July 2025 – June 2026), 4 million adults listen to radio every week.
The results show that Bauer Media Audio Ireland is now Ireland’s largest radio group across all key audience metrics, with 2.29 million listeners each week and more than 1.53 million listeners tuning in every day across its portfolio of national, regional and local stations including Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN 1038, SPIN South West, Red FM, iRadio and Beat.
Bauer has now overtaken RTÉ to become the largest group on Prime-Time Market Share at 29.46% and dominates in all audience segments under 55 years old.
Bauer Media Audio Ireland saw considerable growth across its two national stations, Newstalk and Today FM.
IMRO ‘National Station of the Year’ Today FM maintained its upward momentum, increasing its market share to 10% for the first time in over a decade, (up 0.4% BoB). The latest results also show the station’sweekly reach now stands at 974,000 (+20,000 BoB, +46,000 YoY). Ireland’s most listened to commercial station now has 524,000 (+4,000 BoB, +25,000 YoY)daily listeners.
The results showed record-breaking listenership figures for two flagship shows on the station. The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show achieved its highest result in the show’s history, now waking up the country with 240,000 listeners (+8,000 BoB) retaining its positionas themost listened to show on commercial radio. Likewise, The Last Word with Matt Cooper recorded its highest resulton record, increasing its listenership to 195,000 (+3,000 BoB).
Dave Moore’s mid-morning audience increased once again in this survey, now entertaining 211,000 listeners (+5,000 BoB) while Louise Cantillon continues to entertain listeners across Ireland throughout their lunch break, with an audience of134,000 (-1,000 BoB).
Across the afternoon on Today FM, Ray Foley saw an incredible increase of 13,000 listeners, bringing his audience to 179,000.
The substantial growth inToday FM’s market share and listenership figures is reflective of the station’s commitment to cultivating stronger audience connection, listener-first output and its dedication to playing the music listeners love, strengthening its position as the leading national commercial station.
Newstalk’s Weekly Reach increased to 855,000 (+9,000 BoB) as did its daily reach, now at 484,000 (+18,000 BoB).The station’s Market Share remains unchanged at 7.8%. These figures mark five months since the most significant schedule revamp in Newstalk’s history, underlining the strong audience response to the refreshed lineup.
Newstalk Breakfast, hosted by Anton Savage, gained 10,000 new listeners, growing its audience to 168,000 while The Claire Byrne Show grew to 210,000 (+4,000 BoB) maintaining a strong position in the market.
Elsewhere, The Hard Shoulder, hosted by Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman, remains unchanged at 153,000 daily listeners.
Continuing across weekdays, it was also positive news for Seán Moncrieff, increasing his audience to 105,000 (+4,000 BoB). Similarly, it was upwards for Lunchtime Live with Andrea Gilligan, now with a listenership of 115,000 (+1,000 BoB).
Across the wider BMAI portfolio, several stations and programmes showcased noteworthy performances and encouraging results.
Red FM is the clear radio leader in Cork extending its position as the most listened to station in Cork, with a market share of 21.2% (+2.3% BoB). The Neil Prendeville Show remains the most listened to show in the regionwith83,000 listeners (+10,000 BoB). Ciara Revins in the afternoon boasts a record high for the station in that timeslot with 71,000.
SPIN1038 is Dublin’s Number One Music Station with a weekly reach of 253,000.
98FM delivered strong increases across its weekend schedule, including Mark McCabe on Saturday, now entertaining 27,000 (+6,000 BoB). On Sundays, Paul Bonass jumped 11,000 listeners to increase his audience to 30,000, while Andy Preston on Old Skool Sundaygrew by 8,000 to 25,000.
iRadio, broadcasting to 15 counties, continues to connect with a significant audience reaching 336,000 weekly listeners.
Beat remains the most listened to station in the South-East on all key audience metrics. Beat Breakfast with Niall and Shonagh now has 52,000 daily listeners.
SPIN South West remains the most listened to station in the region on a daily basis and Eoghain Fitz maintains his position as the most listened to drivetime show in the region, with an audience of 48,000.
Chris Doyle, CEO of Bauer Media Audio Ireland said: ‘’We are enormously proud of these results. To be leading the market on every key measure is a significant moment for Bauer Media Audio Ireland. Seeing so many record performances in one survey shows just how strongly audiences are connecting with the content we’re producing. Today FM’s result is outstanding, and it’s particularly pleasing to see Newstalk’s new schedule landing so well with listeners. Thanks go to every colleague across Bauer who has contributed to this success, together, we’re seeing huge momentum in our audio business, and that’s great news for both audiences and advertisers.’’
All quoted figures from JNLR/Ipsos 2026-2 (July 2025 – June 2026)