What Heart does

Heart is a UK-based commercial radio network launched in 1994 and operated as a brand within Global Media & Entertainment Ltd., headquartered at 30 Leicester Square, London. The brand operates a portfolio of digital radio stations spanning multiple decades (Heart 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s) and specialty genres (Heart Dance, Heart Musicals, Heart Love), anchored by the flagship Heart Breakfast show hosted by Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 6:30am to 10am. Heart is distributed free-to-air via licensed DAB+ digital broadcast across the United Kingdom, supplemented by online streaming through heart.co.uk and the Global Player app on iOS and Android, as well as smart speaker platforms (Alexa, Google Home). Supporting products include podcasts (The News Agents, The Sports Agents, Heart Breakfast Podcast), competitions (Make Me A Millionaire, Win+, Cash Call), the Heart Bingo gaming platform, live events such as Heart Live in Ibiza, and Weather & Traffic services.

The business model is advertising- and sponsorship-led: Heart is free to consumers, with revenue generated through audio ad spots, sponsored segments, branded content, and event sponsorships (e.g., TK Maxx at Heart Live Ibiza). Audience engagement is driven through prize competitions, celebrity interviews, and showbiz news coverage, distributed through a multi-channel marketing stack including the official website, Facebook (thisisheartofficial), Instagram (@thisisheart), YouTube (HeartRadioMusic), and X (thisisheart). The company's primary customer segment is a broad horizontal UK listener demographic interested in pop music, entertainment news, celebrity content, and family-friendly radio programming; the primary commercial counterparties are brand advertisers and event sponsors.

The technology platform follows a broadcast-plus-digital architecture. The Global Player platform serves as the central digital hub, integrating live radio, on-demand podcasts, competition entry, and interactive features across mobile and web. Heart operates as one of several radio brands under Global, alongside Capital, Smooth, LBC, and Classic FM, and is partnered with McLaren Racing as Official Race Partner for selected 2026 F1 races. Recent activity signals continued investment in sub-brand depth (Heart 10s, Dance, Musicals, Love), on-demand content, live events, and adjacent monetization platforms (Heart Bingo, Win+).

Name

Heart

Legal name

Global Media & Entertainment Ltd.

Website

https://heart.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Heart is a UK commercial radio network operated by Global Media & Entertainment, broadcasting multiple decade- and genre-specific stations (Heart 70s through 10s, Dance, Musicals, Love) via DAB+, the Global Player app, and online streaming, serving a broad UK adult audience with ad-supported music, celebrity news, competitions, and live events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Interactive Digital Radio (Lean-Back Streaming) (MPAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial radio broadcasting
• Music streaming service
• Digital audio platform
• Entertainment radio network
• Podcast broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorship: Heart Radio generates revenue through audio advertising spots aired during programming, sponsored segments, and branded content opportunities. The station also offers sponsorship packages tied to specific shows and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heart is a UK commercial radio network that broadcasts popular music, celebrity news, and entertainment programming across multiple decade-specific and genre-specific stations (Heart 70s through Heart 10s, Heart Dance, Heart Musicals, Heart Love). It delivers live and on-demand audio content via DAB+ digital radio, the Global Player app, website streaming, and smart speakers, supplemented by podcasts, prize competitions, live events, and an online bingo platform.

Product overview

Heart is a UK-based commercial radio brand operated by Global, offering a unified platform of live radio stations spanning multiple decades (Heart 70s through Heart 10s), specialty formats (Heart Dance, Heart Musicals, Heart Love), flagship breakfast programming, and on-demand digital content via the Global Player app. The product portfolio includes audio streaming, podcasts (The News Agents, The Sports Agents), competitions (Make Me A Millionaire, Win+), live events, and complementary services like Heart Bingo. The architecture follows a platform-plus-modules model with the Global Player as the central digital hub connecting all radio stations, podcasts, and interactive features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heart Bingo: Online bingo platform operated under the Heart brand
• Make Me A Millionaire
• Heart Live

Products and services

• Global Player

Quantifiable outcome

• Heart Breakfast reaches audiences from 6:30am-10am with popular celebrity presenters

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McLaren RacingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 May 2026Global (parent company of Heart Radio) partnered with McLaren Racing as Official Race Partner and Official Audio Race Partner for selected Formula 1 races from the 2026 season. Heart branding appears on McLaren team headsets worn by drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The partnership includes Monaco Grand Prix, Silverstone, and key European races. Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden visited McLaren Technology Centre to announce the multi-year agreement.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capital FM: Sibling UK commercial radio brand also operated by Global Media & Entertainment, sharing the Global Player platform, DAB+ distribution, and similar pop-music breakfast show format targeting a comparable demographic.
• Smooth Radio: Another Global-owned UK commercial radio network competing for the same advertising budgets and audiences via the Global Player app, with overlapping adult contemporary music and breakfast programming.
• Magic Radio: UK commercial radio station playing pop and easy listening music with a similar demographic and advertising-funded model, operated by Bauer Media; competes with Heart's core station and decade sub-brands.
• Kiss FM (UK): Bauer Media-owned UK commercial radio station targeting a younger, dance and pop-leaning audience; competes with Heart Dance and the broader Heart network for both listeners and ad spend.
• Absolute Radio: UK commercial rock and pop radio station operated by Bauer Media; competes with Heart across multiple UK regions on both DAB and online streaming with an advertising-funded model.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Radio 1: UK public broadcaster's flagship pop music radio station competing directly with Heart for listeners and, indirectly, for audience attention; non-commercial but the dominant scale competitor in UK radio.
• Classic FM: UK national commercial classical music station competing for the same advertiser attention and overlapping with Heart Musicals; complements Heart's genre-station strategy by serving an adjacent musical vertical.
• talkSPORT: UK national commercial sports talk radio station owned by News UK; competes for digital audio ad budgets and share-of-ear against Heart's news, sports, and entertainment programming including The Sports Agents podcast.
• BBC Sounds: BBC's digital audio platform offering live radio, podcasts, and on-demand music; competes directly with Global Player as the digital distribution home for Heart, and shapes UK listener expectations for free audio streaming.
• Spotify: Global audio streaming incumbent offering personalized music, podcasts, and radio-style experiences; competes for listener minutes and advertising share rather than head-to-head UK broadcast slots, but exerts structural pressure on Heart's commercial model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heart70s
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HeartRadioMusic
• Facebookfacebook.com/thisisheartofficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/thisisheart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart