CIM Audio On Demand in the first half of 2026: news remains strong, sport follows the calendar

CIM has published its Audio On Demand ranking for June 2026, completing the picture for the first half of the year.

From January to June, participating publishers recorded a combined 89.4 million streams and downloads. The Dutch-language universe accounted for 66.2 million, or 74% of the total. The French-language universe recorded 23.2 million, representing 26%.

Total volume in the second quarter was 8.8% lower than in the first. TOPradio only joined the study in June, but this change has only a limited impact on the comparison.

VRT was the largest Dutch-language publisher within the study. On the French-language side, RTBF accounted for 90.5% of the measured volume. The two language universes therefore present very different profiles. It should also be noted that fewer publishers and brands participate on the French-language side.

Daily news formats were the most stable category. De 7 from De Tijd held the top position in the Dutch-language ranking throughout all six months. In May, however, its lead over Het HLN-nieuws was particularly narrow, at just 9,759 streams.

Sports programmes fluctuated much more in line with the events calendar. In March and April, cycling podcasts benefited from the spring classics. In June, football and the World Cup gained ground. Sporza Daily increased from 96,792 to 485,059 streams between April and June.

The figures for the first six months highlight three clear trends: news remains the most stable foundation, sport follows the events calendar, and the Dutch- and French-language universes differ significantly in both size and concentration.

Source: CIM, Audio On Demand – January to June 2026. The study is based on logfile data from participating publishers and does not cover the entire Belgian market. The figures refer to streams and downloads, not reach or audience. TOPradio has been included since June 2026.