Talksport Boasts Record Audience Reach
talkSPORT has revealed it achieved its highest-ever audience reach for Q4 since it launched as Talk Radio in 1995, according to industry figures released by RAJAR.
The official industry figures cover the fourth quarter of the year, from 19th September to 18th December 2011 – during which talkSPORT broadcast the majority of its live and exclusive coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
talkSPORT reached 3.2 million listeners in the quarter, an increase of 2% quarter on quarter. Listening hours have also increased by 7.3% quarter on quarter and now stand at 22 million.
Live football has continued to prove a success for the station, with the live Premier League game on a Saturday evening attracting 9.6% more listeners than the at the same point in 2010. Extended sports programming has also proved successful with The Sports Bar (10pm – 1am weekdays), which started in early September, achieving a 6.7% increase in listeners in this timeslot quarter on quarter.
Moz Dee, talkSPORT programme director, said: ‘Continued investment in our product of live sports rights and talent is clearly paying off. We were the only place to hear the biggest sporting tournament of last year – the 2011 Rugby World Cup and it’s great news that the event proved a draw for listeners.’
‘The audience is growing more aware of our live football and I’m really looking forward to a big year with commentary of live and exclusive Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League matches before the end of the season, as well as the football event of the year – the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament.’
talkSPORT reaches 2.6 million men, an increase of 2.1% quarter on quarter and representing 80% of the audience. 54% of the total talkSPORT audience are categorised as ABC1, an increase of 4.8% quarter on quarter.
Scott Taunton, talkSPORT’s chief executive, added: ‘2012 is a huge year for talkSPORT and these results show that we’ve gone into the year in a very positive way. We started the year with the announcement of our Euro 2012 coverage and are already working with sponsors and advertisers to provide them with the best possible results across the tournament.’
‘With the Olympics in London in less than six months and the Premier League title race wide open we’re in a great position to capitalise on the passion and excitement for sport in the coming months.’
In December 2011, the website saw an 89% increase in users from the same month the previous year. The talkSPORT iPhone app also produced over 928,000 sessions in December – the highest ever in a single month, and a 65% year on year increase.
