In an increasingly competitive digital media environment, RadioTimes.com faced the challenge of diversifying its audience acquisition strategy, while maintaining its trusted voice. The need to reduce reliance on search traffic, increase direct engagement, and grow audiences across multiple digital platforms was paramount.

With a lean – but highly skilled – editorial team working closely with social, video, and audience development teams, the task was to modernise a 100+ year-old brand for a digital-first audience. Limited budgets meant they would have to maximise impact through creativity, cross-platform storytelling, and strategic audience engagement.

The RadioTimes.com editorial team embraced a bold digital-first strategy, reshaping how the brand connects with audiences across platforms. Pivoting away from search dependency, they leveraged social-first content, video innovation, and direct audience engagement to deepen relationships with readers.

A significant shift saw Google Discover become the leading traffic source for news, doubling the reach of search-driven content. Simultaneously, engagement rates soared, with sessions per active user increasing by 24% year-over-year. The launch of the Radio Times TikTok was a milestone, becoming the fastest-growing TikTok account within the business and amassing over 27 million views and 1.4 million engagements in under a year.

The team pioneered multi-platform storytelling, integrating social-first videos into high-profile magazine shoots and producing exclusive digital content for the Radio Times app. Viral moments, such as the heartwarming exchange with Robbie Williams (1M+ views) and an interview with Nico the Cat from A Quiet Place (1.9M views,) showcased the team’s ability to craft emotive, highly sharable content.

The expansion into audience-first video strategies paid off tremendously, with a 259% increase in YouTube views and a 333% rise in watch time, while our new Radio Times Gaming YouTube channel reached 1 million views in six months. A record-breaking Soap Awards 2024 campaign reached 20 million people and delivered 4.1 million video views. Cross-platform campaigns, such as EastEnders at 40, exceeded engagement targets by 312%, solidifying RadioTimes.com as a leader in digital entertainment publishing.

The RadioTimes.com editorial team’s strategic digital pivot has resulted in unprecedented growth and engagement.

• Engagement rates on editorial content rose by 13% year-over-year, with engaged sessions per active user up 24%.

• Google Discover now delivers double the traffic to news content compared to search, reducing dependence on traditional SEO-driven strategies.
  
• Social channels exceeded yearly audience targets within nine months, with TikTok achieving 27 million views and 1.4 million engagements in under a year.

• Video expansion led to a 1,418% increase in views (66M total) and a 582% net audience growth (51K new followers).

• Impressions surged by 109%, reaching 474M in total.

• The Soap Awards 2024 campaign generated a 20M reach and 4.1M video views, while EastEnders at 40 surpassed engagement targets by 312%.

• Digital support for the iconic Radio Times Christmas issue contributed to a year-over-year growth in newsstand sales.

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