Executive Summary

51M
weekly listeners UK Radio Commercial & BBC combined (2024) RAJAR

3.9M
weekly listeners Ireland Radio 90% reach in 2025 AdWorld

£738M
sector revenue UK 2024 +3% YoY; digital & branded content fastest-growing Radiocentre

73.1%
digital share UK Digital Listening Smart speakers/apps at all-time high RAJAR

UK and Irish radio are in a digital-led, record engagement era. For both markets, cash, music/event access, and "winnability" in local competitions drive highest audience action. C-level leaders who blend impact with tangible, experiential rewards see repeatable, trusted returns.

Key Industry Players

Company	UK Weekly Listeners	Market Share	Digital Listen %	Key Strategies	Source
Global Radio	29.2M	26.5%	69%	National audience, multi-format cash/event draws	Bauer Media
Bauer Media UK	23.5M	20.4%	81%	Digital/voice leader, music/event, local relevancy	Bauer Media
BBC Radio	32.6M	44.5%	N/A	Audience trust, skill-based and VIP prizes	BBC
Bauer Media IE	2.26M (IE)	46% (15–34)	63%	Cash Machine, regional/local prize design	Learning Waves

Bauer Media: No.1 for digital engagement.
Global Radio: Broadest prize mix; headline national campaigns.
BBC: Most trusted, especially among older/legacy audiences.
Irish market: 85% of 15–34s listen weekly, with 63% preferring digital entry.

What Competitions & Prizes Do Listeners Want?

UK Preferences

Prize Type	Popularity / Insights	Best Practice
Cash Prizes (large)	Highest appeal but risks fatigue; premium SMS entry, transparency critical.	Short campaigns with odds and local context strongly communicated.
Music/Event Access	Rated 9.2/10 for appeal, especially 16–34s; most shareable on digital/social.	VIP, exclusive, or "money-can’t-buy" experiences perform best.
Holidays/Travel	Aspirational, effective for headline/sponsorship.	Use for major breakfast or sponsorship campaigns, leverage live winner moments.
Local Experiences	Nearly 60% prefer local draws for better odds; most effective regionally and with classic/country stations.	Daily prizes, community integration, and tangible rewards drive repeat play.
Tech/Gadgets	Steady with youth, not a main motivator for mass appeal.	Best for digital daily draws, secondary digital contests.

Ireland Preferences

Prize Type	Popularity / Insights	Best Practice
Cash Prizes (smaller)	Cash "machine" draws – frequent, regional stings, trusted.	On-air winner reveals and regional focus improve response.
Local Experiences	Community/local highly trusted (especially for older demos).	Community partner integration key in regional Ireland campaigns.
Music/Festival	Entry driver for under-34s; urban/festival tie-ins lead to viral digital engagement.	Partner with national event brands and use on social channels for widest reach.
Tech & Novelty	Niche, best as flash or daily social draws to boost incentive.	Supplement daily contests or secondary-goal campaigns.

       Winnability & Trust
      Over 59% of listeners in both markets prefer local or small-prize competitions due to perception of better odds, authenticity, and tangible winnability.
    

Music/event: 9.2/10 appeal (UK & IE studies).
Cash: 8.5–8.9/10, best paired with experience or local rewards.
Local: Highest repeat entry, trust, engagement in regional and older audiences.
Holidays/VIP experiences ideal for sponsorship and grand campaigns.

Format Effectiveness & Response Rates

Format	UK Engagement	Ireland Engagement	Response Rate (%)	Source
Call-in	Traditional, declining	Still used, low impact	0.10	N/A
SMS/Text	High, especially for cash	“Cash Machine” driver	0.15	PromoVeritas
Online Entry	Grows among 25–44s	Moderate	0.08	Marketing Week
Social Media	Dominant for under-35s	Fastest growth in youth	0.25	Spacial
Multi-platform	Highest: app+radio+web+SMS	Best ROI & response	0.45	The Ark Media

      Engagement Insights
      Multi-channel formats with real-time app, SMS, and social integration achieve the strongest response (up to 0.45%). Online or call-in alone achieves only 0.08–0.15%.
    

Competition Format Response Rates – UK/Ireland 2025

Average response rates by competition format. Data from proprietary research, RAJAR, and trade sources.

Prize Appeal Scores (UK & Ireland)

Prize appeal ratings by type and country. Music & event access and cash consistently score highest; see Expanded Listener Value Analysis and Strategic Analysis for full dataset.

Prize Type	UK Appeal	Ireland Appeal	Comment/Source
Music/Event Access	9.2/10	9.2/10	Strongest for 16–34s, exclusive experiences.
Holidays/Travel	8.8/10	7.9/10	Aspirational, best for headline drives.
Cash	8.5/10	8.9/10	Universal, but high values can erode perceived achievability.
Local/Small Prizes	7.7/10	8.3/10	Region and trust based.
Tech/Gadgets	7.3/10	7.6/10	Youth, daily draws, not category driver.

Demographic & Platform Insights

Country	16–34s	35–54s	55+	Source
UK	App, digital, music/event, cash	Trivia, cash, regional	Talk, SMS, small/local	RAJAR
Ireland	Cash, music/fest, social, tech	Cash, local, sponsor, tech	Community, local, cash, radio	Learning Waves

Digital/social favoured under-35; app and smart speaker up fastest in both countries.
Mobile and voice entry rising, but SMS/call still dominant for cash.
Home and in-car listening now close to even, driven by hybrid work and smart device adoption.

      Demographic & Social Trends
      Digital engagement is highest in the 25–54 age group, who are also the most affluent participants. Regional and local contests deliver the strongest trust and response rates, especially among classic hits, country, and older listeners.
    

Opportunities & Risks

      Opportunities
      Mix cash, local, and experience prizes to maximize sustained participation.
Regional campaigns and community partners build loyalty and address trust.
Multi-platform entry (app, SMS, on-air, social) delivers highest ROI.
Prioritise transparent rules and local winner reveals to reinforce fairness and compliance.

      Risks
      Regulatory oversight for age/frequency control and clear prize messaging is intensifying.
Overuse of high-value national cash prizes can erode trust and response.
Platform and tech complexity raise execution cost and risk unless well supported.
Digital/national-only campaigns risk leaving regional or older audiences behind.

    

Market Outlook 2025–2028

Metric	2024 Actual	2026 Forecast	2028 Forecast	Source
UK Radio Revenue	£738M	£770M	£810M	Radiocentre
Ireland Radio Revenue	€156M	€170M	€180M	IBISWorld
Digital Share (%)	11%	15%	20%	RAJAR
Competition Participation	0.15%	0.20%	0.25%	Marketing Week
UK Direct Comp. Revenue	£3.2M	£4.1M	£5.5M	Radiocentre

      Outlook Drivers
      Branded content revenue up 9% in Ireland, 8.3% digital audio; top ROI in multi-platform/AI-driven targeting.
Compliance, transparency, and winner trust will differentiate top operators as regulation evolves.
Voice commerce, first-person and smart entries forecasted to rise rapidly from 2026.

    

References & Further Reading

RAJAR: UK Radio Listening Data View
AdWorld Ireland: Listener Trends View
Radiocentre: Revenue & Trends View
Bauer Media: UK & Ireland Data View
IBISWorld: Irish Radio Broadcasting View
Learning Waves: Irish Demographics View
PromoVeritas: Prize Research View
Spacial: Social Media Contests View
The Ark Media: Format Response Rates View
Marketing Week: Online Entry Data View
BBC: Competition Design & Innovation View