Mediacorp expands its audio reach to capture 3.8 million listeners weekly, as its roster of free-to-air and digital radio stations continue to be the premier choice for 88.6% of all adults in Singapore who tune in for over 10 hours weekly. According to the latest Nielsen Radio Survey, the company also commands 83.8% of the radio market share, eclipsing that of competitors.
In a testament to Mediacorp’s success in staying ahead of consumer preferences and market needs with its customer-centric and multi-platform strategy, listenership on the company’s digital radio network achieved an impressive compound annualised growth (CAGR) of 17% over five years since 2018. This marks the fourth consecutive year of continuous gains on the digital front to reach a record 1.63 million listeners weekly, or 91.6% of all digital listeners.
The findings are based on the latest Nielsen Radio Survey conducted from August to October 2022, which tracked radio listenership via diary recordings by 2,014 adults aged 15 and above, with the results weighted by age, sex and race to be representative of the Singapore population.
Mediacorp sweeps nine out of top 10 positions, top five are Mediacorp stations
As the leading radio network, Mediacorp’s radio stations are the preferred choice among key audience segments across gender, age, race and occupation4 . As its reach continues on an upward trajectory for the fourth consecutive year, its capacity to attract, captivate and retain audiences is clear: nine out of the top 10 spots in the ranking of stations is a Mediacorp radio station, with the top five belonging to the company. Out of the 11 hours and 46 minutes that listeners spend tuning in to Singapore’s radio stations weekly, 10 hours and 27 minutes (88.8%) were on Mediacorp’s radio stations.
The reigning champion is Chinese station YES 933, boasting a record 964,000 listeners (22.4% of weekly listenership) after attracting an additional 30,000 listeners (+3.2%) since the previous survey6 . As the first choice for a variety of audience segments, including Chinese aged 15+, millennials aged between 25 and 34, premier audiences and parents, it simultaneously claimed the accolade of top digital station with 457,000 digital listeners, and recorded an overall engagement rate of 6 hours 38 minutes.
Placing overall second by a narrow margin, but coming in first on both market share and engagement rate is LOVE 972, with 951,000 listeners (22.1% of weekly listenership) who tuned in for 10 hours 22 minutes weekly. This represents an increase of 1 hour 28 minutes since the last survey, which also marks the highest jump in audience engagement across all stations surveyed. Beyond its list of accolades, the station is also the prime choice among women aged 15+, and notably, silvers aged 55+, with whom it achieved a listenership growth of 11%.
In overall third place, CLASS 95 continues to be the top English radio station. Following a 3.3% increase in reach, the station recorded 877,000 listeners (20.4% of weekly listenership) who spent an average time of 4 hours 30 minutes listening weekly. Beyond establishing itself as the preferred station among men aged 15+ and PMEBs (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen), the station also achieved a near doubling in digital listenership from 231,000 to 446,000, marking the highest increase among all stations surveyed.
In fourth place is CAPITAL 958, which reached 668,000 listeners (15.5% of weekly listenership) and recorded an engagement rate of 10 hours 5 minutes. As a close runner-up to LOVE 972 among silver audiences aged 55+, the station grew 15,000 digital listeners since the last survey6 , marking the third consecutive year of growth on the digital front.
Coming in at fifth place for the second year in a row is Malay station Warna 942, which celebrates a highest ever reach of 529,000 listeners (12.3% of weekly listenership) who tuned in for 9 hours 27 minutes weekly. Having recorded a stunning 89.9% increase in digital listenership from 109,000 to 207,000, it is the undisputed top station among Malays, and comes in third among Indians aged 15+. Following closely behind in seventh place is 987, which records 481,000 listeners and retains the honour of being the top station among those between 15 and 24 years old, growing its reach by 51.3% to reach 174,000 listeners. This includes a steady growth in digital listenership, which increased by 80,000 since the last survey6 to hit a record 270,000 listeners. Following closely behind in eighth place is GOLD 905, with 408,000 listeners who spend 4 hours 10 minutes tuning in to the station weekly.
Breaking into the top 10 leaderboard for the first time ever is the nation’s preferred English news station CNA938 in ninth place, with a weekly reach of 380,000. This includes a digital listenership of 292,000, representing a 79.1% growth in digital reach, or 129,000 listeners, since the last survey6 . Also breaking personal bests is Oli 968, the top station among Indians 15+. In tenth place, it achieved a record listenership of 348,000 (8.1% of weekly listenership) with an engagement rate of 6 hours 29 minutes.
Meanwhile, listenership on classical music station Symphony 924 has remained largely stable at 214,000 (5.0% of weekly listenership); followed by Ria 897 at 133,000 (3.1% of weekly listenership), making it the third leading station for Malays aged 15+. Digital station Indiego, also made its debut in the survey with 2,000 listeners tuning in weekly to the latest indie music from Singapore and around the world.
Digital radio network records fourth consecutive year of growth
As Mediacorp continues to boost its suite of digital offerings including the variety of digital audio content such as podcasts, its digital radio network achieved a fourth consecutive year of growth in listenership, achieving a compound annualised growth (CAGR) of 17% over five years since 2018. This translates into a reach of more than 1.63 million listeners, or nine in ten digital listeners, with close to seven hours of weekly engagement.
These results correspond with the uptick in performance for Mediacorp’s digital audio service meLISTEN, which saw a growth of 7.4% this year in monthly average unique visitors7 , which reached to 679,973 unique visitors. In terms of podcast content, downloads spiked 41.1% compared to last year to reach a total of 995,585 average downloads monthly8 .
Mediacorp’s Chief Executive Officer, Tham Loke Kheng said: “To be continually recognised as the top audio network in Singapore is not an accolade that Mediacorp takes lightly. We are committed to delivering the finest content to entertain, inform and inspire listeners across all demographic segments, and are proud that the latest Nielsen survey has affirmed our success in doing so. As we celebrate being the preferred audio network for a record 3.8 million listeners, we will continue working hard to curate the music they love, create compelling content they enjoy, and connect with them across our network.”