For the first time this year, radio and TV programmers are as one on their selection of top three tracks, with Camila Cabello's Havana (feat. Young Thug), Ed Sheeran's Perfect and Rita Ora's Anywhere holding down the medal positions in that order on both the radio and TV airplay charts.
That Cabello has returned to No.1 on the radio airplay chart is a surprise; Havana spent three weeks at the summit previously but was runner-up to Perfect for the last two weeks, and appeared to be losing touch. Despite being edged out, Perfect actually turned in a solid performance in the week, with plays up for the 11th week in a row – climbing 1.47% from 6,347 to 6,440 – and audience growing 2.10% from 74.19m to 75.75m. But Havana reversed two weeks of audience loses to secure an audience of 76.11m, 20.85% up on the previous frame's 62.98m, with small increases in support at both Radio 1 and Radio 2 but bigger gains elsewhere, and total plays climbing 10.87% from 5,582 to 6,189.
Anywhere – which peaked three weeks ago at No.2 for Rita Ora – bounces 5-3 with even bigger increases in penetration, as plays surge 28.72% to 5,605 and audience leaps 34.12% week-on-week.
After rocketing 11-3 last week, Stormzy's Blinded By Your Grace Part 2 pays the price for a big reduction in plays from 15 to four on Radio 2 – which never seemed its natural home – and sinks straight back to No.11.
Havana is No.1 for the fourth straight week on the TV airplay chart, albeit with a small dip in support from 704 plays to 695 plays, which allows Perfect (up from 654 plays to 678) to draw closer, with Anywhere down from 641 plays to 639 in third place. In addition to being in the same order as on the radio airplay chart, these songs all hold the same places on the TV chart they occupied a week ago.
