MUMBAI: The number of Internet radio listeners has jumped 2.5 million in the UK in only six months, according to industry ratings body Rajar.

Some 14.5 million people have used the web to listen to the radio at least once, up from 12 million in November last year, according to Rajar, says a report in the UK based Telegraph.

The figures, based on interviews with 863 people between April and May 2008, indicate that six million people have downloaded a podcast, up from 4.3 million in the previous survey. The average podcast user subscribes to 3.6 podcasts and spends just over an hour a week listening to them, according to the research, which found that comedy and music continue to be the two favourite genres.

While 10 per cent of respondents said they listened to less live radio less as a result of downloading podcasts, almost 40 per cent said they were now tuning in to radio programmes they did not previously listen to.

Despite the growing popularity of digital radio, the vast majority of people still tune in via traditional analogue sets.

Separate figures for the first quarter of this year showed that 41 million people listened to the radio on an analogue set at least once a week, compared to nine million who listened through a digital radio.

Even fewer listened to the radio through their television (five million) and via the internet (three million), says the report.