In the quarter covering April to June 2025, BBC Sounds achieved 696 million plays across live radio, on‑demand podcasts and music mixes—representing a 14.5 % year‑on‑year increase.
Of that total, on‑demand radio programmes and podcasts accounted for 257 million plays. The weekly active‑user average reached approximately 4.8 million across devices, according to PodcastingToday.
From a demographic lift perspective, the UK media regulator Ofcom reports that BBC Sounds now reaches just under 24 % of UK adults weekly, up 3 percentage‑points year‑on‑year. Biggest growth came in the 16‑24 age group (up from ~14 % to ~22 %) and in the 45‑54 segment (up to ~25 %).
Content‑wise, the platform continues to be propelled by news‑oriented podcasts and high‑profile audio drama programmes, while music mixes remain strong in younger audiences.
Overall, BBC Sounds demonstrates healthy growth in both scale (plays and users) and breadth (age segments), with on‑demand audio, podcasting and curated mixes emerging as key engines of engagement.
