RIX FM Leads Sweden’s Commercial Radio to Record Shares

Michael Hedges August 15, 2005

Shuffling brands and frequencies, consolidating further Sweden’s commercial radio spectrum, yields benefits to large group owners. Modern Times Group (MTG) – owner of RIX FM and Lugna Favoriter - took over the 20 frequencies licensed to NRJ Group. Ten were given to RIX FM and 7 to Lugna Favoriter with one in the three major cities remaining under the NRJ brand and format. Nationally MTG Radio increased market share to 23.8% from 18.1% one year on.

Private local radio (PLR) stations reached the highest audience share – 34.4% - since commercial stations were first licensed. PLR shares had been stalled in the low 30% range since the previous peak of 33.8% in Q4 1997.

More than half – 50.3% - of all radio listening is attributed to public broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR). Compared with the same period in 2004, SR’s audience share has increased by just under one percent. Regional network P4 increased its audience share to 34.5% from 34.1% and hit music channel P3 increased to 11.2% from 10.4%. News and informational channel P1 maintained its 11% compared to the same period in 2004. In the national survey only fine arts channel P2 lost share, to 1.7% from 1.9 year on year.    

In the Swedish capital Stockholm, where more stations compete, SR’s total share dropped to 41.7% from 43.7% year to year while PLR stations gained only a fraction; 38.4% from 38.3%. Squeezed out, it seems, are foreign stations and “other.”

NRJ brand’s reduced distribution changed the Stockholm audience rankings as it dropped to #5 (5%) from #2 (7.7%). Contemporary hit music station The Voice, operated by SBS Radio, gained the most, increasing to 5.4%  (#4) from 3.5% one year on. A similar brand is used by SBS in Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Soft hits Lugna Favoriter stays #1 in Stockholm and hot hits RIX FM is #2. Mix 104.3 lost market share, to 6.1% from 6.7% year on year, but jumped to #3 in the rankings.

The most recent radio audience survey was released August 5th by RUAB. The survey was conducted April 4th through June 12th and reports listening by persons aged 9 to 79 years. Reports are released quarterly. The next RUAB radio listening survey results will be released October 21st. Overall radio listening increased to 77.7% of the Swedish population from 76.7% in the same period 2004.