Radio audiences: France Inter still in the lead, Europe 1 confirms its improvement

No upheaval in the radio hierarchy at the end of 2023: France Inter remains good first in audiences in November-December, which confirm the improvement of Europe 1 and see France Culture establish its record, according to figures from Médiamétrie published on Thursday. In total, the radio medium continues to lose listeners: it is listened to by 38.7 million people every weekday, 600,000 fewer than a year ago.

However, this total is higher than in September-October, when it reached its historic low (38.1 million). The ranking continues to be led by France Inter. The flagship of the public service attracts 6.9 million daily listeners during the week, or a cumulative audience of 12.5% ​​(0.1 point in one year). “Remaining leader is always a challenge that France Inter has taken on for 20 consecutive waves (of measures, editor’s note),” reacted the president of the public group Radio France, Sibyle Veil, in a statement sent to AFP. Presented by Léa Salamé and Nicolas Demorand, the morning show, which has undergone some adjustments this season, has gained “nearly 200,000 listeners in one year”, rejoiced the boss of Inter, Adèle Van Reeth. For its part, Europe 1 remains last among generalists and is 9th in the overall ranking. But it confirms the recovery of September-October, where it increased for the first time over a year since 2013.

In November-December, Europe 1 attracted 2.2 million daily listeners, for a cumulative audience of 4%. This is 0.4 points more than a year ago and 0.2 more than in September-October. This “dynamic” which is “amplifying” is “the fruit of in-depth work”, estimated Constance Benqué, president of the Lagardère News group, to which the station belongs. One of the drivers of this growth is Pascal Praud, poached from RTL this summer. To amplify the effect, Europe 1 now partly co-broadcasts the morning show that it hosts on CNews TV, “L'heure des pros”.

Europe 1 and CNews, which are increasing the number of mergers, are both in the fold of Vivendi, the group of billionaire Vincent Bolloré. Directed by Emelie de Jong since June 2023, France Culture sets its record, with 1.9 million listeners every day (3.4% cumulative audience, 0.3 points). Behind France Inter, RTL is second in the ranking with 5.4 million daily listeners, but it has fallen significantly over one year: it has lost 330,000 listeners and its cumulative audience has gone from 10.3% to 9.6%.