Half of the UK radio audience now tunes in via DAB, digital TV or the internet

Half of the UK radio audience over the age of 15 has listened to radio using DAB digital radios, digital television or the internet, according to radio audience research company Rajar.

"The interest in digital radios is growing," said a spokeswoman for Rajar. " If you talk to the Digital Radio Development Bureau it will tell you that DAB sets are increasingly being bought and that's why more people are listening to digital radio."

However, the share of hours that people listen to radio on a digital platform only increased to 11.4 per cent, up from 11 per cent in the final quarter of 2005.

The number of adults listening to the radio using the internet rose from 17.3 per cent in the first quarter 2005 to 20.8 per cent today.

On the other side of the spectrum, UK analogue services received a boost as an increasing number of mobile phones users now admit to using the radios in their handsets.

Almost nine per cent of young adults with a mobile phone use the handset to listen to the radio, while 21.2 per cent of 15-24 year-olds also tune in using their handsets, accounting for 4.5 million users between them.

Rajar admitted that more research is needed into this area of the market. " At this point we don't know exactly what people are listening to on their mobile phones, because we don't ask that question," said the spokeswoman.

"The question Rajar asks is very broad, such as do you ever or have you ever listened to the radio on your mobile phone?"

Overall, the radio figures showed that 90 per cent of the UK population listens to the radio.