BBC Radio 3 celebrates strongest start to the year in more than a decade

BBC Radio 3 has made its strongest start to the year in over a decade, with record numbers of listeners tuning in to the BBC’s classical music station.

In the first quarter of the year, the station attracted 2.15 million listeners. This figure was also its highest number of listeners for any quarter since the end of the pandemic in the third quarter of 2021.



Sam Jackson, controller of BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, said the station’s “ambitious and bold programming” had played its part in attracting record numbers across a range of timeslots, including weekday programmes such as Radio 3 Breakfast and Night Tracks.

The station also saw year-on-year increases for weekend programmes, including double-digit percentage increases for shows such as Earlier… with Jools Holland, and The New Music Show.

Jackson added: “This period included a number of specially-created days and projects which only Radio 3 could offer. 



“We marked Pierre Boulez’s centenary with a full day dedicated to his compositions and conducting, and celebrated 25 years of our New Generation Artists scheme with a day of curated programming.”

He continued: “Thanks to our brilliant lineup of presenters and teams across the network, we’ve evidently kept our existing audience with us for longer – whilst also welcoming in a significant number of new listeners.”