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Industry News
30 July 2026
Online radio was the fastest growing advertising medium in Q1 2026
The latest AA/WARC expenditure report released today, highlights that online radio was the UK’s fastest growing media channel in the first quarter of 2026.
Advertising investment in online radio rose by 22.1% year-on-year, outperforming all other media categories. At the same time, total radio advertising grew by 4.2%, underlining radio’s continued strength as a multiplatform medium.
Across all media, advertising investment increased by 9.3% year-on-year in Q1 2026, reaching a total of £11.7 billion.
Looking ahead, the AA/WARC forecasts predict an increase in advertising investment of 8.2% to a total of £50.5 billion in 2026. This momentum is expected to continue into 2027, with forecast growth of 5.9%, bringing total investment to £53.5 billion.
As the only report to collect advertising spend data from across the entire media landscape, AA/WARC is regarded as the most trusted source of this information in the UK.
Radiocentre’s CEO Matt Payton said:
“In a tough market, the strong performance we have seen in the first quarter of this year suggests advertisers are continuing to see the benefits of investing in multiplatform audio, with both digital audio and broadcast radio providing them with a trusted and regulated space to amplify their advertising and drive business success”.
|
MEDIUM |
Q1 2026 |
2026 |
2027 |
|
|
Yr-on-yr % change |
Yr-on-yr % change |
Yr-on-yr % change |
|
Cinema |
-17.6% |
2.1% |
4.1% |
|
Direct Mail |
7.9% |
2.9% |
0.0% |
|
Online Classified |
0.5% |
-0.9% |
-0.3% |
|
Other Online Display* |
-10.7% |
-19.7% |
-35.0% |
|
Out of Home |
15.0% |
7.6% |
2.5% |
|
of which digital |
17.6% |
9.0% |
3.9% |
|
Published Media |
-5.9% |
-3.0% |
-0.3% |
|
Magazine Brands |
-5.7% |
-3.2% |
-0.5% |
|
of which online |
2.9% |
0.3% |
1.5% |
|
National News Brands |
-3.7% |
-1.7% |
-0.5% |
|
of which online |
-0.8% |
0.8% |
1.7% |
|
Regional News Brands |
-9.7% |
-4.8% |
0.4% |
|
of which online |
-12.1% |
-4.4% |
2.6% |
|
Radio |
4.2% |
3.3% |
0.6% |
|
of which online |
22.1% |
12.6% |
4.5% |
|
Retail Media |
17.9% |
15.9% |
13.0% |
|
Search |
9.8% |
8.5% |
6.2% |
|
Social Media |
17.7% |
16.5% |
12.8% |
|
TV |
0.8% |
3.7% |
3.0% |
|
of which addressable |
15.5% |
13.6% |
11.5% |
|
ALL MEDIA TOTAL |
9.3% |
8.2% |
5.9% |
Source: AA/WARC Expenditure Report, July 2026
Find the full report here
