SPH Radio stations grow audience base further

SPH Radio stations saw further growth in listeners in the second half of this year, with monthly digital listenership reaching more than 800,000 unique users in October 2018, up by 23 per cent from June 2018, the media company said on Thursday.

A separate survey by Nielsen also showed that SPH's five radio stations are reaching a greater overall audience. The survey, conducted in September and October 2018, estimated that SPH Radio's audience grew by 30,000 listeners.

ONE FM 91.3 in particular enjoyed a near-doubling of digital audience numbers, reflecting a successful rebranding in August 2018. The "grown-up fun" station, which plays fan-favourite greatest hits from the 80s to now, saw its digital listenership jump 80 per cent between June and October 2018. Digital sessions more than doubled.

Kiss92 and MONEY FM 89.3, the other two English radio stations under SPH Radio, also posted a double-digit increase in digital listenership. 

MONEY FM 89.3, the youngest radio station in Singapore, saw a significant increase in their listenership, which shot up by 59 per cent to 89,000, according to the Nielsen survey. SPH said this is "a good indication that audiences are turning to MONEY FM 89.3 as their trusted source for business and personal finance updates".

In the same survey, the overall Chinese audience size saw an increase of 8 per cent for SPH Radio, with UFM100.3 leading the growth by 10 per cent to 404,000.

SPH Radio's Chinese radio stations have also grown their digital listenership, with more than 20 per cent and 13 per cent increase in digital listenership for UFM100.3 and 96.3 Hao FM respectively.

In a press statement, Sim Hong Huat, general manager of SPH Radio, said: "We are pleased with the overall growth for SPH Radio. The increase in digital listenership across all five stations is definitely a positive sign as radio consumption habits change with the times."