Commercial radio industry data collection

All licensed radio broadcasters holding a commercial licence must complete the Radio Relevant Turnover Return every year for each licence they hold, unless specifically exempted.

Radio Relevant Turnover returns are required for each of the following licence types:

• Analogue commercial radio broadcasting licences (licence numbers begin “AN” or “AL”)
• Digital Sound Programme licences (licence numbers begin with “DN” or “DP”)
• Radio Licensable Content Service licences (licence numbers begin “RLCS”)
• National radio Additional Services licence (licence number begins “AS”)

Please remember that it is the type of licence(s) you hold, rather than whether or not your organisation is run on a profit or not-for-profit basis, that determines whether or not you are required to submit this return.

Holders of community radio licences (licence numbers beginning “CR” or “CDP”) are not required to fill in a Radio Relevant Turnover Return if they hold no other licence types. However, if community radio licence holders also simulcast their service(s) on one of the licence types listed above, they should refer to the ‘Guidance on submissions’ below.

If you hold another type of licence, you will be asked to provide data for that licence separately. If you’re unsure about the data we need from you, please contact us at radiomid@ofcom.org.uk.

Deadlines

The deadline for the Radio Relevant Turnover returns will be communicated to you by the Radio Market Intelligence Database (Radio MID) team via email. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date. If you need to update your contact details, please contact radiomid@ofcom.org.uk.

Return submissions should be made through the Ofcom Online Services Portal Market Intelligence Database (MID). Please note that as of January 2023 the URL and landing page for logging in to the Ofcom Online Services Portal MID have changed.

Guidance on submissions

See our user guide for radio relevant turnover returns (PDF, 1.3 MB) for information on the data required and the submission process.

We have also introduced a video guide for radio stakeholders on entering and submitting data.

We would also remind data providers and submitters:

• In cases where multiple licences share a common station name, care should be taken to ensure that data for a service is submitted against the correct licence number. If you require further information about your licence number, please contact the Broadcast Licensing team at broadcast.licensing@ofcom.org.uk.
• We draw your attention to Ofcom’s Statement of Charging Principles (PDF, 935.7 KB) and its description of the components of ‘Relevant Turnover’ for radio, in particular 1.13 of Annex C which concerns the inclusion of income resulting from a ‘call to action’ (e.g. by the submission of a vote or competition entry via a premium rate phone line or text message).
• Data in the Relevant Turnover return should relate to the relevant calendar year in question i.e. January – December.
• In order to avoid double-counting of revenues, revenues should not be duplicated across licences. Please note:
  • In cases where revenues from a service covering multiple licences are reported against a single licence, please ensure that you use the Comments field to note this. You should then enter zeros against revenue for the other relevant licences.
  • Holders of community radio licences (licence numbers beginning “CR” or “CDP”) are not required to fill in a Radio Relevant Turnover Return if they hold no other licence types. Their turnover data will be requested separately for an annual Community Radio data return by Ofcom’s Broadcast Licensing team.
  • However, if your community radio licence also simulcasts its service(s) on one of the licence types listed above, for instance a DAB or cable/ satellite licence, you are required to complete a Radio Relevant Turnover Return. You can split your reported turnover equally between the Radio Relevant Turnover Return and the Community Radio finance reports. You may split and report this income differently, if you choose, but you must explain your approach to Ofcom in the Comments field of the return. Further guidance on how to fill in the Radio Relevant Turnover Return in this case can be found in the user guide for Radio Relevant Turnover Returns linked above.
• We strongly encourage stakeholders to make use of the Comments field in Radio Relevant Turnover Returns. Please especially use the Comments field to:
  • explain year-on-year variances of +/- 10%;
  • describe components of any ‘other relevant turnover’ / ‘other turnover’;
  • draw to our attention any other issue or matter that you consider relevant.

• Please remember to follow all the steps set out in the user guide to enter and formally submit the data to Ofcom. Entering data without formally submitting the return will result in the return showing as not being completed.

Failure to provide data

Please note, Condition 9 of your Local Sound Broadcasting licence and Additional Radio Services licence, Condition 11 of your National Sound Broadcasting licence and Condition 8 of your Digital Sound Programme licence states that you are to "furnish to Ofcom in such a manner and at such times as Ofcom may reasonably require such documents, accounts, returns, estimates, reports, notices or other information as Ofcom may require for the purpose of exercising the functions assigned to it by or under the 1990 Act, the 1996 Act or the Communications Act.”

Failure to provide the data requested in the specified time may lead to enforcement action being taken, in line with our General Procedures for investigating breaches of broadcast licences (PDF, 296.7 KB).

Contact us

For troubleshooting and any queries not covered here in relation to the returns, get in touch, stating your organisation and licence numbers.

Email: radiomid@ofcom.org.uk

Post:

Ofcom Radio MID Team
Ofcom Research & Intelligence
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA