What RAC1 does

RAC1 is a Catalan-language commercial radio station headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, founded in 2000 and operated by Radiocat XXI SL, a subsidiary of the Grup Godó media conglomerate (which also owns La Vanguardia and Mundo Deportivo). The station serves the Catalan-speaking general audience in Catalonia and Andorra with a horizontal content mix spanning news, politics, sports, weather, health, culture, technology, gastronomy, and entertainment. Flagship programs include the morning current-affairs show El món a RAC1 (hosted by Jordi Basté) and the afternoon interview/commentary program Versió RAC1 (hosted by Toni Clapés), alongside more than 20 additional programs and dedicated podcast verticals (RAC&GO, La revolució sexual, La píndola de salut).

The underlying technology stack combines traditional FM broadcasting infrastructure across 25+ regional frequencies (Barcelona 87.7 FM, Girona 100.1 FM, Tarragona 99.2 FM, Lleida 90.3 FM, Andorra 89.0 FM, and others) with a digital platform comprising the rac1.cat website, iOS and Android mobile applications, an on-demand podcast service (RAC1 Pòdcast / A la Carta), breaking-news push notifications, RSS feeds, and interactive games (Set Lletres, Les 8 Diferències, El Mot). The digital infrastructure is supported by Akamai CDN for content delivery and security, Google Analytics for audience measurement, and Google Firebase Crashlytics for app reliability. The organization is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary (RAC1 25 Anys).

RAC1 generates revenue exclusively through advertising and content sponsorship — there are no subscription fees or paywalls. Revenue streams include audio advertising on live radio and podcasts, display advertising on rac1.cat, and program sponsorships, with targeting capabilities based on demographics and content consumption patterns. The station has achieved the leading audience position in Catalonia per the EGM (Estudi General de Mitjans) measurement, surpassing 1 million daily listeners for five consecutive seasons, the best sustained performance in its history. Corporate parent Grup Godó provides cross-media synergies with its newspaper and sports properties.

Name

RAC1

Legal name

Radiocat XXI SL

Website

https://rac1.cat

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RAC1 is a Catalan-language commercial radio station based in Barcelona, operated by Radiocat XXI SL (part of Grup Godó), serving Catalan-speaking audiences in Catalonia and Andorra via FM broadcast, digital streaming, mobile apps, and podcasts. It generates revenue through advertising and sponsorships, and leads Catalonia's radio market with over 1 million daily listeners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Radio Networks (National/Regional) (MPABABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting
• Digital news media
• Podcast production
• Audio streaming
• Advertising media

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: RAC1 generates primary revenue through advertising. The station offers various ad formats including audio ads during live streaming and podcasts, display ads on rac1.cat, and personalized advertising based on user navigation profiles. Advertisers can target audiences based on demographics and content consumption patterns.
2. Content Sponsorship: Branded content and program sponsorship opportunities where advertisers associate with specific shows or content categories.
3. Audio Advertising: Audio advertising served during live radio broadcasts and podcast content, including basic and personalized ads based on user data.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RAC1 is a Catalan-language commercial radio station that broadcasts 24/7 news, sports, politics, culture, and entertainment programming across Catalonia via an FM network, complemented by live streaming on rac1.cat, on-demand podcasts through the RAC1 Pòdcast platform, and dedicated iOS/Android mobile apps. The station reaches over one million daily listeners and monetizes this audience through advertising, branded content, and program sponsorships, while also publishing editorial news articles and interactive web games.

Product overview

RAC1 is a Catalan-language commercial radio station operated by Radiocat XXI SL (part of Grupo Godó), broadcasting from Barcelona with a comprehensive portfolio of live radio (Directe), on-demand podcasts (RAC1 Pòdcast/A la Carta), and 25+ specialized programs including flagship shows like El món a RAC1 and Versió RAC1. The station delivers news coverage across 18 content sections (Esports, Política, Salut, Meteo, Tecnologia, etc.), publishes podcasts on health, relationships, and technology topics, and engages audiences through interactive games (Set Lletres, El Mot), competitions, and a program schedule service. RAC1 also organizes annual awards programs (Premis DRAC, Premis Ràdio Associació) and marks milestones like its 25th anniversary. The station is accessible via live FM broadcast across Catalonia (with frequencies like Barcelona 87.7 FM) and online streaming, reaching over one million daily listeners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAC1 Pòdcast: On-demand podcast service offering archived radio programs
• Versió RAC1
• El món a RAC1
• Premis DRAC

Products and services

• RAC1 Directe (Live Radio Streaming) Real-time live audio broadcast of RAC1's full programming schedule streamed over the internet via rac1.cat and mobile applications, allowing listeners anywhere in the world to tune in to news, sports, weather, and entertainment as they air on FM.
• RAC1 Pòdcast (A la Carta)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million daily listeners - record audience figures for 5 consecutive seasons

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grup GodócoreOthersRAC1 is operated by Radiocat XXI SL, which is part of Grup Godó (Grupo Godó), a major Spanish media conglomerate. Grup Godó includes other media properties such as La Vanguardia and Mundo Deportivo, forming the corporate family under which RAC1 operates.
• Generalitat de CatalunyaminorOthersRAC1 acknowledges the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) on its website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Los 40 (PRISA): Spain's leading music-formatted radio brand, also operated by PRISA. Overlaps with RAC1's entertainment/music programming and competes for the same youth/young-adult advertising budgets.
• Radio Marca: Spain's leading sports radio station, owned by Unidad Editorial. Direct overlap with RAC1's Esports section (Barcelona FC and other Catalan sports coverage); competes for sports-adjacent ad budgets.
• Spotify Spain: Global audio streaming leader with deep penetration in Spain. Captures a growing share of listener time and advertising spend that previously went to traditional radio networks like RAC1.

Direct peers

• Catalunya Ràdio: Public Catalan-language radio broadcaster operated by CCMA. Most directly comparable peer — same language, same region (Catalonia), similar general-interest news/sports/culture programming — and RAC1's primary audience-share competitor per EGM measurements.
• Cadena SER: Spain's largest commercial radio network, owned by PRISA. Direct competitor in the Spanish-language ad market and a benchmark for national ad pricing; both RAC1 and Cadena SER monetize through audio advertising and complementary podcast/app offerings.
• EsRadio: Spanish commercial radio network operated by Libertad Digital. General-interest news/talk format with comparable advertising and distribution model; competes for voice-of-listener share in Catalonia and nationally.
• Cadena COPE: Spain's second-largest commercial radio network, owned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference. Direct competitor with a national news/talk format that mirrors RAC1's editorial approach; competes for the same advertising budgets and hosts.
• Onda Cero: Spanish commercial radio network owned by Atresmedia. Direct competitor with general-interest programming and podcast platforms; comparable in scale and monetization model to RAC1 outside Catalonia.

Emerging players

• Podimo: Subscription podcast platform with a meaningful presence in Spain. Emerging competitor targeting premium podcast advertising and listener attention that RAC1 is also pursuing via RAC1 Pòdcast.
• iVoox: Spain's leading podcast hosting and discovery platform. Competes with RAC1 Pòdcast for on-demand listening time; represents the structural shift away from broadcast radio toward on-demand audio consumption.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rac1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1lJj1qQdO9juaSIT4XjJ7g
• Facebookfacebook.com/rac1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/radiocat-xxi-s-l

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 RAC1