BBC has announced a record period for listening to BBC Sounds during lockdown, with 313 million plays of all content between April-June across radio, podcasts and music mixes.
Data for Q2 2020 shows an average audience of 3.4 million weekly users, and a record 136 million plays of on-demand radio programmes and podcasts, up 13 million on Q1. Live radio listening on BBC Sounds accounts for 55 percent of overall plays and 65 percent of all listening hours are for live content.
Grounded with Louis Theroux was the most popular podcast with other top podcasts including That Peter Crouch Podcast and The Coronavirus Newscast, and the Obsessed with… Normal People audio companion.
Music mix plays increased by 1.4m, with mixes for Radio 1’s Big Weekend UK 2020 and Glastonbury proving especially popular during what should have been festival season.
Jonathan Wall, Controller of BBC Sounds, said:
“The extraordinary circumstances of these months during lockdown and the disruption to people’s lives is reflected in these latest figures and the most popular content. I’m really glad we’ve been able to give listeners some real treats to enjoy such as Louis Theroux’s brilliant first podcast, hours and hours of Glastonbury and Big Weekend sets and more ways for fans to indulge in drama hits such as Normal People.”