Latest figures show more than 600 million plays on BBC Sounds

The latest listening figures show the BBC’s digital offering to audiences has grown significantly, with a record 602 million plays on BBC Sounds.

Twenty per-cent of the UK population (15+) now listen to podcasts each week. Newscast is the most listened to podcast on BBC Sounds, and new Radio 4 series’ including The Banksy Story and Call Jonathan Pie among the top ten.

Data shows there was an average weekly audience of 4.8 million on BBC Sounds this quarter, a record 226 million plays of on demand radio and podcasts, and 3.7 million plays for music mixes on BBC Sounds. 

Newscast was the most popular podcast for all adults and for listeners under 35, with Americast also among the top ten.

New series’ including The Banksy Story, Call Jonathan Pie, Yeti, The Crossbow Killer and Intrigue: The Immortals were among the top ten most listened to podcasts.

With the start of a new season, football titles helped drive younger listeners on BBC Sounds with Match Of The Day Top 10 one of the most popular podcasts for listeners under 35 and new strand The Players Channel was among the podcasts with the highest proportion of listeners under 35.

The Sleeping Forecast was the most listened to music mix on BBC Sounds this quarter, followed by Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton and Mindful Mix

There was a total of 226 million downloads for BBC podcasts around the world this quarter, with The Global News Podcast the most popular on third party platforms.

Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer says: “There were over 600 million plays on BBC Sounds for all content – a new record and an incredible achievement for a platform we launched only five years ago.

“Our digital offer for audiences continues to go from strength to strength, delivering standout live and on-demand content for listeners, wherever and whenever they need it.”