BBC Sounds enjoyed a strong summer quarter, recording 675 million plays between July and September 2025 — up 8.5 % year-on-year, according to new BBC figures. The platform saw record podcast engagement, a surge in sports coverage, and continued growth among under-35 audiences, as live radio, on-demand programmes and music mixes all contributed to its best Q3 performance to date.
Live radio listening
RAJAR data for the same period confirms the BBC remains the UK’s number one radio brand, reaching 31 million weekly listeners and a 42% share of live radio listening. Radio 2 increased to 12.8 million weekly listeners and kept its crown as the UK’s largest single station. Radio 6 Music reached a record 2.7 million listeners (up from 2.6 million in Q2), while 5 Live Sports Extra rose 68 % on the quarter, fuelled by England’s cricket Test series, the Women’s Euro 2025 football final, and the Rugby World Cup.
BBC Sounds performance highlights
- 675 million plays across all content, +8.5% YoY.
- Average weekly audience: 4.8 million across app, web, smart TV and voice devices.
- Peak weekly reach: 4.9 million during the Ryder Cup week.
- Including plays from BBC Sport, News, Bitesize and visualised podcasts on iPlayer brings the total to 5.1 million weekly (peak 5.4 million).
- Podcasts: record engagement driven by Newscast, You’re Dead To Me, Gangster, Shadow World: The Grave Robbers and What’s Up Docs.
- Under-35s: strong growth via visualised podcasts such as Uncanny and Miss Me?.
- Music Mixes: 2.4 million plays, led by The Sleeping Forecast.
- Global podcasts: 212 million downloads July–October 2025, with Global News Podcast and 6 Minute English topping charts.
Trends & Context
The inclusion of data from BBC Sport, News and Bitesize provides a broader view of overall BBC audio consumption, extending beyond traditional radio. Newly launched Sports Streams and Local Sport Club Feeds attracted younger and more diverse listeners, while nostalgia formats such as Radio 1 10s also proved popular with under-35s. Globally, BBC podcasts maintained strong momentum, with more than 200 million downloads in the quarter. The data confirms BBC Sounds’ continued growth amid intensifying competition from Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.
Why it matters for listeners
For UK audiences, BBC Sounds continues to offer ad-free access to a huge library of programmes, podcasts and music mixes — all funded by the licence fee rather than subscriptions. The latest figures show a healthy balance of traditional radio and on-demand growth, and underline the BBC’s evolving digital strategy reaching younger listeners on mobile, smart speakers and connected TVs.
Summary
With 675 million plays and record podcast engagement, BBC Sounds closed summer 2025 on a high. Growth among younger audiences, expanded sports coverage and new visualised formats highlight the BBC’s digital momentum. While commercial rivals chase subscriptions, BBC Sounds continues to deliver free, high-quality listening for UK audiences — showing that public-service audio still resonates in the streaming era.
