Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR; /ˈreɪdʒɑːr/) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and Radiocentre. RAJAR's predecessor was called Joint Industry Committee on Radio Audience Research (JICRAR; /ˈdʒɪkrɑːr/). Prior to this, the BBC and Radiocentre's predecessor CRCA carried out their own measurements independently of each other.
Radio X is a British national commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. The station launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station named Q102, before being renamed Xfm in 1992. The station became a legally licensed London-wide station in 1997, and in 2015 began national broadcasting under the name Radio X.
As of July 2025, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 2.4 million, according to RAJAR.
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban genres, and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been code named "Network X" during the consultation period. At the time, the station was listed as "1 Xtra BBC" on many electronic programming guides. The station broadcasts from the 8th floor of Broadcasting House, shared with Radio 1 and the Asian Network.
According to RAJAR, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 786,000 with a listening share of 0.3% as of March 2024.
The Absolute Radio Network is a network of ten radio stations owned and operated by Bauer Radio. Bauer purchased the TIML Radio Limited network of stations in 2013. Most of the Absolute Radio stations are decade-themed services, alongside the flagship station and classic rock and country-formatted stations. The network is aimed at 35 to 54 year olds.
According to RAJAR, the network broadcasts to a combined weekly audience of 5.4 million with a listening share of 3.5% as of March 2024.
Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. The network launched in 2018 with the rebranding of Bauer's Manchester station Key 103 and its merger with The Hits, and since then various other local stations have been rebranded under the Hits Radio banner.
As of December 2024, the network has a combined reach of 7.1 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR.
Heart is a network of thirteen independent adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local and networked programming, although only the stations in Scotland and Wales still have their own shows. Ten of the stations are owned and operated by Global, while the other three are owned and operated under separate franchise agreements. The national version of the network is widely available on Global Player, Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media and Digital One DAB.
According to RAJAR, the Heart ‘brand’ (including the network of the main Heart station and digital spin-off stations) had an average weekly audience of 12.8 million during the July to September 2025 quarter, with the main Heart network reaching an average weekly audience of 9.4 million during same period. While the overall Heart brand is running neck and neck with its rival BBC Radio 2 (also an average weekly audience of 12.8 million during the quarter) the BBC station remains significantly ahead when compared with the main Heart network of stations (12.8 million vs 9.4 million). While the station’s owner, Global, states that “Heart remains the UK’s biggest radio brand,” Radio 2 remains significantly ahead in terms of hours listened, with an average of 133 million hours per week during the July to September 2025 quarter for the BBC station, compared to 82 million for the Heart ‘brand’ and 59 million for the main Heart network.
BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 39 stations.
As of December 2024, the network broadcasts to a combined audience of 7.1 million, with a listening share of 4.6%, according to RAJAR.