Following a record quarter covering the first months of ‘lockdown’, which saw a significant increase in listening, the latest data for this quarter shows a return to steady growth on BBC Sounds over the summer months.

That Peter Crouch Podcast was the most listened to podcast for under-35s

As well as news and entertainment, people enjoyed calming music with the Mindful Mix the most popular mix on BBC Sounds

Classic fictional sleuths, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, are the most popular on-demand radio programmes after The Archers

New podcasts The Joe Wicks Podcast and Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave appear in the top ten
6 Degrees from Jamie and Spencer has the biggest proportion of under-35 listeners for the second consecutive quarter

New data for Q3 (July-September 2020) reveals there were 290 million plays for all audio, and 124 million plays of on-demand radio and podcasts. There were 2.2 million plays of music mixes.

The average weekly audience across the period was 3.2 million whether people were using the app, website or voice activated devices; with a peak in this quarter of 3.5 million weekly users. The last quarter before lockdown (Q1: January-March) also saw a peak of 3.5 million users, and an average weekly audience of 3.1 million.

There are millions of plays of our radio stations on BBC Sounds, with 57 percent of overall plays being for live content and 67 percent of all listening hours - demonstrating the scale of people listening live online and through the app.

Jonathan Wall, Controller of BBC Sounds, says: “After record listening when people turned to us in the first period of ‘lockdown’ we’ve seen a return to the steady growth from before then. Usually this quarter would have been a summer of brilliant live sport and music but of course life shaped up to be very different.

“What’s evident is the breadth of content that listeners continue to enjoy even in the summer months when listening traditionally decreases. People came to Sounds for news analysis and insight done in a chatty, human way in Newscast, as well as the entertainment and company of the likes of Peter Crouch, Fi Glover and Jane Garvey, and Louis Theroux. It might not be surprising in such an unsettling period that our relaxing Mindful Mix continues to be really popular too.”

*Data for platforms other than BBC Sounds is not available this quarter, so it’s not possible to provide figures for third party, global downloads for this period.

On-demand radio programmes

The Archers again tops the chart for on-demand radio programme for all adults on BBC Sounds, followed by two classics Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple from Radio 4 Extra.

Radio 1’s Anthems is the most listened to on-demand programme for under-35s, and the list is made up of other popular Radio 1 programmes such as Dance Party with Annie Mac and flagship Radio 4 programmes including In Our Time.

This quarter Radio 1 Anthems was also the on-demand programme with the largest proportion of under-35 listeners.

Music mixes

The latest data reveals that the Mindful Mix was the most played, followed by Sounds Of The 90s With Fearne Cotton. With the absence of most live music, listeners continue to enjoy Glastonbury sets on BBC Sounds.

Podcasts on BBC Sounds

Newscast is the most listened to podcast this quarter, as people have continued to turn to the podcast for news updates, analysis and conversation.

Big hits You’re Dead To Me and That Peter Crouch Podcast are the next most listened to podcasts for both all adults, and they top the chart for under 35s too.

New titles that launched in this quarter, or towards the end of the previous quarter, that appear in the top ten include The Joe Wicks Podcast and Ecstasy: the Battle of Rave which tells the story of the lives that were changed when Ecstasy and Acid House first swept Britain through both factual storytelling and drama.

Six Degrees from Jamie and Spencer has the largest proportion of under 35 listeners for the second consecutive quarter. The top ten also includes The Gemma Collins Podcast, James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds and Scarlett Moffatt Wants To Believe.

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