BBC Sounds posts record audio listening year

BBC Sounds has recorded more than 2.5 billion plays of radio, music and podcasts this year, marking its strongest performance to date.

Figures covering January to November this year show plays on BBC Sounds were up eight per cent compared with the same period last year, reflecting continued growth across live radio, on demand programmes and podcasts on the platform.

Across the wider BBC, there were 2.8 billion audio plays in total, including content from BBC Sport, BBC News, BBC Bitesize and visualised podcasts available on BBC iPlayer, highlighting the scale of audio consumption across BBC services.

Podcast listening on BBC Sounds rose by 15 per cent compared with last year, with audiences increasingly turning to the platform for speech, storytelling and specialist series alongside live radio.

BBC Sounds has published its ten most played podcasts of this year based on listening between January and November. The list includes Newscast, Americast, Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Uncanny and Elis James and John Robins. Also featured are Short History Of…, Limelight, You’re Dead to Me, The History Podcast and What’s Up Docs?.

Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds, said: “Hitting 2.5 billion plays this year is a great milestone and it’s fantastic to see BBC Sounds continuing to grow via our big events, stations, streams and podcasts.”

He added that podcast listening was up 15 per cent and pointed to a record weekly audience of 5.1 million during The Ashes as evidence that audiences are turning to BBC Sounds for news, sport and storytelling.

Mohit Bakaya, Controller of BBC Radio 4 and Director of Speech Audio, said the figures showed the continued impact of BBC speech output, from comedy and drama to journalism and investigative series, with audiences embracing both new titles and established programmes.