Executive Summary

51M Weekly Listeners, UK Commercial & BBC combined in Spring 2025

3.9M Weekly Listeners, Ireland Highest reach ever recorded in 2025

£738M 2024 UK Radio Revenue UK sector +3% YoY; digital revenues rising rapidly

73.1% UK Digital Listening Share Smart speakers, apps, and web at historic highs

Radio competitions are a proven engine for engagement and revenue. Listeners in both the UK and Ireland consistently report that prize preference and competition format are critical factors driving participation, with expectations evolving toward more digital, music-related, and localized experiences, especially among younger audiences and regional listeners. Prizes that combine cash with unique or exclusive experiences—and local, achievable wins—are demonstrably more effective in encouraging entry and repeat participation.

What Types of Competitions and Prizes Do Listeners Really Want?

UK Listener Preferences

Prize Type	Popularity / Listener Insights	Best Practice Observations
Cash Prizes (large jackpots)	Extremely high appeal, especially on commercial radio channels. Fuels high entry via paid text. Visible but risks "prize fatigue."	Works best when part of short-run, high-impact campaigns. Transparency and local context improve trust.
Music & Event Access	Rated highest for emotional impact and excitement, especially for 16-34 year olds. Drives digital entry and social activity.	Most effective among younger listeners; best when offered as "money-can't-buy" or VIP experiences.
Holidays & Travel	Remains aspirational; often cited as a dream prize by national breakfast audiences.	Short promotional windows and real-time on-air winners boost impact.
Local Experiences / Small Prizes	Rapidly growing popularity among regional stations. Listeners feel real prospects to win.	Best for building daily engagement and perceived fairness; major in country, classic hits, and community radio.
Technology & Gadgets	Steadily appealing, especially for youth and sports formats, but not "life-changing."	Highly shareable for on-air plus digital "win in every show" models.

Ireland Listener Preferences

Prize Type	Popularity / Listener Insights	Best Practice Observations
Cash Prizes (smaller jackpots)	Standout winner; "Cash Machine"-style rolling draws dominate. Promote frequent, accessible participation with premium SMS and on-air build-up.	Best supported with live calls and local stings to reinforce authenticity.
Local Experiences	Strongly preferred by community and regional audiences, especially outside Dublin. High trust value.	Use partnerships with local businesses and charities; make prizes attainable and community-based.
Music / Festival Access	Very popular for under-34’s—concert, music, and exclusives are major entry triggers in youth and urban shows.	Piggyback major national events for wider reach; capitalize on exclusive access narrative.
Tech & Novelty Rewards	Moderate; quirky or innovative prizes (latest phone, meet & greet, exclusive merch) add sizzle but not critical.	Use as cluster draws and daily app/social incentives.

       Local > National: The Importance of "Winnability" and Trust
      Research shows 60% of listeners prefer local competitions or small prizes over big national ones, citing fairer odds and higher perceived trust. 
      Especially among country and classic hits fans, and in Ireland, local promos outperform large network draws on actual participation rates and post-competition engagement.
    

Music/event access rated 9.2/10 for desirability in UK & Ireland research
Cash prizes remain universally appealing (8.5/10), but top value when paired with local or experiential elements
Local contests create repeat entry and increase trust, especially with on-air winner reveals
Holidays & ‘VIP experiences’ best for 'aspirational' national campaigns and major sponsorships

Competition Format Trends (2025): UK vs Ireland

Radio Competition Format Popularity – UK vs Ireland (2025): Bar chart based on cross-market engagement surveys and response rates.

Competition Format	UK Popularity / Engagement	Ireland Popularity / Engagement
Cash Draw (text/call-in)	Highest: Dominates peak slots. Premium-rate ‘win big’ SMS is main format.	Highest: "Cash Machine” type draws drive mass entries on both urban and regional networks.
Local Prizes / Experiences	Strong growth via regional breakfast and drive shows; “win local” outperforms national in trust metrics.	Very high: Core to community and regional radio; outpaces national prizes in ROI and entry rates.
Music/Event Tickets	Major draw for 16-34s, especially in digital/online or app-based formats.	Popular for youth and urban demos; attaches well to influencer-led campaigns.
Trivia/Skill Games	Consistently steady, adds interactivity to national breakfast shows. "Play to win" skills-based rising on digital.	High value in “live on air” morning shows and skill-based partnerships.
Social Media Entry	Growing rapidly (especially 16–34); response rates outpace online-only contests.	Increasingly core for Gen Z and sponsor-driven festivals, but remains below SMS/call-in for volume.

      Key Data Insight
      Multi-platform competitions have the highest response rates (up to 0.45%), combining on-air, digital, app, and social formats. Traditional call-in and simple online entry average 0.10–0.15%. Social/digital entry mechanisms are especially important for engaging under-35s.
    

Demographic & Platform Insights

Country	16–34s	35–54s	55+
UK	Social Media, App, Music/Event, Cash	Trivia, Cash, Local Prizes	Talk Radio, SMS, Small Prizes
Ireland	Cash, Music/Event, Social, Tech	Cash, Local, Sponsorship, Tech	Local Prizes, Cash, Community, Radio

Digital and social entry dominates under-35s; app and smart speaker competitions up sharply.
Smart speaker and mobile app entries are rising fastest in both countries, but premium SMS/call still dominant for cash draws.
Out-of-home and home-based entry now split nearly evenly due to smart devices and hybrid working.

      Socioeconomic Trends
      Younger, digitally engaged listeners have a higher household income on average. Local contests deliver stronger brand lift among classic hits, country, and older demos who value trust and fairness over headline jackpot size. Ethnic diversity and inclusivity are increasingly important in prize and format planning across both UK and Ireland.
    

Opportunities, Threats & Strategic Recommendations

      Market Opportunities
      Integrate cash, experience, and local prizes for universal appeal and sustained participation.
Build regional campaigns using community partners and hyper-local rewards to drive year-round loyalty and trust.
Leverage music/event “money-can’t-buy” offers to create excitement among digital-first and youth audiences.
Emphasize transparent winner pools, fair chances, and compliance to maintain listener trust and regulatory standards.
Adopt multi-platform, real-time promotion (radio, app, socials) for maximum ROI and engagement velocity.

      Risks & Threats
      “Prize fatigue” if large national cash offers overused or entry costs are unclear.
Regulatory and compliance breaches on age verification, GDPR and responsible marketing.
Platform complexity—apps, smart speaker, and social entries require robust tech and data monitoring.
Under-serving local or older audiences if national and digital-only campaigns dominate.

    

2025–2028 Outlook: Forecast and Best Practice

Metric	2024 Actual	2026 Forecast	2028 Forecast
UK Radio Revenue	£738M	£770M	£810M
Ireland Radio Revenue	€156M (annualised)	€170M	€180M
Digital Share (%)	11%	15%	20%
Average Competition Participation (per comp.)	0.15%	0.20%	0.25%
Direct Competition Revenue	£3.2M	£4.1M	£5.5M

      Growth Drivers: 
      Multi-platform campaigns and local partnerships
AI-based personalization and targeting for prize relevance
Branded content integration (+9% YoY in Ireland’s H1 2024)

      Best-in-Class Execution:
      Enforce transparent terms, age/frequency controls, winner visibility
Deliver regional customisation and digital-synchronous triggers (push/app/smart)
Prepare for GDPR upgrades and voice-driven entries with secure, real-time analytics

    

Data Sources & Further Reading

RAJAR UK Radio Listening Figures – shoutcommunications.co.uk
Radiocentre Radio Rev. & Engagement Trends – radiocentre.org
AdWorld Ireland Strong Irish Radio Audiences – adworld.ie
Bauer Media UK & Ireland Listener Data – bauermedia.co.uk
IBISWorld Irish Radio Broadcasting Analysis – ibisworld.com
PromoVeritas UK Prize Research – promoveritas.com
Learning Waves Irish Radio Demographic Data – learningwaves.ie
Expanded Listener Value Analysis – Internal Report, July 2025
Ofcom, Radiocentre, CrowdReact, and additional referenced sources in attached appendices.