BBC Sounds has recorded its most popular quarter yet with a total of 364 million plays of all content across radio, podcasts and music mixes.
During this quarter, between October and December 2021, Global News Podcast (BBC World Service), The Documentary (BBC World Service) and In Our Time (Radio 4) once again proved the most popular.
There was a record peak of four million weekly users and a record 5.2 million total plays of music mixes on BBC Sounds.
Plays for on-demand radio and podcasts reached 162 million and, remaining steady for the quarter, 54% percent of overall plays on BBC Sounds were for live content and 65% percent of all listening hours were live.
Listeners tuned in to comedy as the winter months drew in, with Andy Hamilton’s sitcom Harry’s Game and Mark Steel’s In Town among the most listened to on-demand radio programmes last quarter, following the Archers, In Our Time and Desert Island Discs.
England’s Ashes campaign brought younger listeners to Test Match Special’s expert coverage from Australia, and with viral interviews featuring global superstars including Adele and Lady Gaga, Breakfast With Greg James remained one of the most popular on-demand radio programmes with younger audiences, following Radio 1 Anthems.
New titles Things Fell Apart by Jon Ronson and Uncanny were huge hits, appearing in the top ten podcasts for all adults and under 35 listeners.
Pressed podcast had the highest proportion of younger listeners for the second quarter running, followed by 6 Degrees With Jamie And Spencer.
The Christmas Sounds series proved hugely popular last quarter, contributing to a record 5.2 million plays of all music mixes on BBC Sounds between October and December 2021.
There was also a record peak of 4 million weekly users in December, as many people tuned in live to the Today Programme and listened to Newscast on BBC Sounds as news of the Omicron variant and booster programme were announced.
Things Fell Apart by Jon Ronson was critically acclaimed and the most popular new podcast in the quarter, with listeners drawn in by the human stories from the history of the culture wars. Another new podcast, Uncanny, from the team behind The Battersea Poltergeist including Danny Robins, was also really popular this quarter, gripping the audience with its investigations into real-life paranormal stories. Newscast and You’re Dead To Me topped the chart, with all four appearing in the top ten for all adults and under 35s. Match Of The Day: Top Ten topped the list for number of under 35 listeners.
The straight talking podcast Pressed had the highest proportion of listeners under 35 for the second quarter running, followed by the enduring 6 Degrees With Jamie And Spencer. New series’ The Footballer’s Football Podcast and Legends Fall In The Making also proved popular with younger listeners on BBC Sounds last quarter.
The new Christmas Music series was the most listened to mix last quarter, contributing to a record 5.2 million plays across all music mixes on BBC Sounds. The new series of Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition was one of the most played music shows between October and December, along with the Pace Setter and Mindful mixes to ring in the new year’s resolutions.
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Posted on Monday, January 31st, 2022 at 6:03 pm by RadioToday Staff