BBC Sounds logs 423 million listening hours in a quarter

BBC Sounds listeners spent 423 million hours on the platform from July to September 2026. The audience grew 70% year on year.

The service recorded 801 million plays in the quarter. Average weekly users reached 4.7 million, and 10.7 million accounts used it. Counting all BBC audio, including Sport, News, Bitesize and visualised podcasts on iPlayer, the weekly audience averaged 5.2 million. It peaked at 6.3 million in late September, when The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked returned.

Live radio figures were adjusted to reflect better measurement on Alexa devices.

Podcasts

Newscast was the most popular podcast on BBC Sounds for all ages and for under-35s. It also led global downloads on third-party platforms, followed by the Global News Podcast, The Archers and Desert Island Discs. Outside BBC platforms, BBC podcasts and radio programmes drew 199 million downloads.

Limelight, Radio 4's drama anthology podcast, came second on BBC Sounds after the release of Central Intelligence series three. Radio 4's Intrigue released two major series, Lockerbie and A 9/11 Story. Americast did well across age groups as the US midterm elections approached. Acquisitions such as Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Elis James and John Robins, and The Rest Is History also performed well.

Radio and music

The Archers was the most listened-to on-demand radio programme, including among under-35s. The Today programme was in the top ten for all ages and for under-35s. Radio 1 shows dominated on-demand radio for under-35s. Football Daily and club podcasts such as Portsmouth FC and Derby County drew younger listeners.

Among music mixes, Sleeping Forecast topped the chart. Radio 2 Unwinds with Angela Griffin came second after Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.

BBC audio content generated 1.63 billion video views on social media, up 28% on the previous quarter.

The BBC's Chief Content Officer, Kate Philips, said: "Audiences spent 423 million hours with radio, podcasts and music on BBC Sounds, demonstrating the continued value of our content across live and on-demand listening." RAJAR figures for 29 June to 20 September 2026 show the BBC as the UK's number one radio brand, with 31 million weekly listeners and a 42% share.

Source: PodcastingToday