ABSOLUTE: Network up a third

Absolute Radio’s network of stations has grown by more than 30 percent in reach year on year and by a quarter in terms of total hours.

Sixty percent of the group’s listening is via digital platforms, more than twice the average elsewhere around the industry.

Although the main Absolute Radio station increased its audience this quarter, listening outside of London is down. The main national commercial licence area is down slightly both on the quarter and the year – to 911,000 (from 945k in Q1/10 and 929k in Q4/10). But that is offset by a good performance in the capital, where the audience grew 87,000 quarter on quarter to give a London reach of 640,000.

Absolute 80s is reporting its fifth set of figures and, although down on the quarter, reach is up an impressive 360,000 listeners now compared with their first results in Q1/10 (from 264k up 624k). Absolute Radio 90s continues to grow in its third set of results – it’s reach has grown from an initial 203,000 to 295,000 and now 317,000. Absolute Radio Classic Rock – home to newly-crowned Music Radio Personality of the Year Ronnie Wood – posted its best reach figure of 342k, with a record 1.6m total listening hours.

Clive Dickens, Chief Operating Officer, said: "In a week of success that saw us win seven Sony Radio Awards, it is particularly pleasing to see even more good news as the business recovers nearly all of the reported audience losses last quarter. We have continued to invest heavily in marketing this year, kicking off in March with our multi award-nominated national ‘Faces for Radio’ marketing campaign and we expect to continue to see the impact of this in the coming quarters."