BBC World Service 1bn podcast downloads
May 29, 2015
The BBC World Service has surpassed 1 billion podcast downloads, with latest figures showing downloads of nearly 28 million a month. The World Service is marking the milestone with a selection of 10 ‘must listen’ programmes for podcast enthusiasts around the world.
The World Service began podcasting in July 2007, when six World Service programmes were available, gaining over 1.3 million downloads in the first month. By April 2015, 78 World Service programmes were available across 11 languages including English, Arabic, Azeri, Burmese, Cantonese, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Persian, Russian and Tamil, and the total downloads for that month were over 27.9 million.
Mary Hockaday, Controller of BBC World Service English said: “This underscores that we’re seeing a resurgence in radio and audio. Podcasts help us reach new and younger audiences both in the UK and right around the world. Our distinctive output covers everything from global news, science, literature, history and business to compelling human interest stories and language learning guides, and podcasts offer a way for listeners to sample some of the best World Service content. Whatever your interest, whenever it suits you, there’s something for everyone.”