The BBC has achieved the highest ever global audience, according to the Global Audience Measure (GAM), which records the total weekly number of adults accessing the BBC around the world.
In 2020/21, the BBC achieved record figures with an average audience of 489 million adults every week, an increase of over twenty million from the previous year.
This brings the BBC’s global audience close to the 500m people target for 2022, which the BBC is on track to exceed in its 100th anniversary year. The BBC’s audience has more than doubled in the last ten years.
BBC’s international news services also reached record levels with 456 million adults using them each week (an increase of 18 million). This includes audiences for World Service languages, World Service English, World News TV, BBC.com and BBC Media Action.
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, commented: “I am delighted that the BBC now informs, educates and entertains more people around the world than ever before. Our globalreach continues to grow and we are well on target to hit half a billion people by our centenary next year. The fact that our audience has more than doubled in the last decade shows how trusted and increasingly valued BBC services are right around the world. It also highlights the important role we play for Britain on the global stage in carrying the UK’s voice, democratic values and influence.”
Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of BBC World Service, says: “Global audiences for BBC News have reached record levels and our reputation for providing trusted, impartial news and information is world class. We have seen how vital our output has been to audiences in moments of jeopardy, from the Covid-19 pandemic to elections and conflicts. The BBC has strengthened its position in markets of need such as Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where access to trusted impartial news is paramount. We will continue to provide strong first-class journalism across our platforms.”
The BBC World Service, which includes language services and World Service English, has continued to be a key growth driver, and still accounts for the largest share of BBC’s global reach. Weekly audience reach for the World Service now stands at 364 million, and is up 13 million from 2019/20.
Ongoing government investment in the World Service – in particular to boost digital, tackle disinformation and reach new audiences in India, Africa and the Middle East – has enabled BBC News to play a critical role in helping people across the globe safely navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
Audiences turning to the BBC during the Covid-19 pandemic have led to an increased demand for trusted news online. This has positively affected digital reach and the growth of the BBC’s owned sites, such as World Service languages sites and BBC.com.
This year’s global performance was driven by the following factors:
- World Service languages growth: this year, the languages division drove the largest share of total BBC growth, up 20m (+7 per cent). The language services now reach 313 million adults weekly.
- Continued rise of digital: digital growth continues apace for BBC News outside the UK. Reach on all digital platforms is up by 23 per cent to 186 million adults reached in the average week.
- Impressive performance of newer language services: these have seen rapid digital growth. The five strongest performing of the new language services are: Pidgin (+332 per cent); Igbo (+204 per cent); Yoruba (+94 per cent); Gujarati (+78 per cent) and Punjabi (+75 per cent). As a result, 39 per cent of World Service weekly reach now comes from digital platforms (41 per cent for all BBC News).
- BBC.com saw a rise of 8 million since 2020 and now has a reach of 40 million adults. Coverage of the US elections and the aftermath contributed faster growth for BBC.com than in previous years
- BBC Studios’ international channelsreached 65 million adults, an increase of 16 million.
- BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international charity that works with media and communication for democracy and development – saw an increase in their contribution to GAM of 5 million, to 23 million.
The top 10 countries by BBC News audience are:
India | 65m |
United States of America | 48m |
Nigeria | 34m |
Kenya | 15m |
Tanzania | 14m |
Iran | 13m |
Bangladesh | 12m |
Afghanistan | 12m |
Brazil | 11m |
Pakistan | 8m |
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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Research
Tags: BBC, BBC News, bbc radio, GAM
FAQs
However, while BBC One remains the most-watched TV channel, its audience is down 12 per cent in the past five years.
How many readers does BBC have? ›
BBC World Service
It reaches a weekly audience of around 318 million people (BBC Global Audience Measure 2023) and is one of the UK's most important cultural exports – informing and inspiring the lives of people across the globe, helping them make sense of the world we live in.
How does the BBC target their audience? ›
BBC Radio 1 is aimed at a younger audience of 15-29-year-olds, playing popular music across a variety of genres. It is also known for its engaging presenters and lively entertainment shows. BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3 both target an older audience of 35-54-year-olds but with different programming.
What has happened to the BBC News channel? ›
On 3 April 2023, the BBC World News channel rebranded as BBC News, formally marking the implementation of the unified service with the UK feed opting out for UK-specific programming, such as BBC television newscasts and Newsnight, and coverage of UK-specific news not judged to be significant enough to warrant rolling ...
Does anyone watch BBC anymore? ›
While the BBC News channel's viewership numbers have been declining in recent years, it still remains a popular source of news for many people in the UK and around the world.
Which news readers are leaving BBC? ›
Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Kasia Madera, and Annita McVeigh have not featured on the BBC News channel since March amid a standoff over their future. The news channel is having to draft in freelancers to plug presenting holes, while less experienced BBC journalists are acting up as anchors.
What is the average age of BBC readers? ›
That is, the average age of a BBC1 viewer, according to the latest estimates published by the BBC Trust (in its death throes – the arms-length regulator will be replaced by hands-free Ofcom next week). On BBC2, it is 62. In 2014, the Trust reported that average ages were 59 and 60 respectively.
How popular is BBC America? ›
Last year, BBC America ranked as the 70th most watched network (both broadcast and cable) out of 159, averaging 190,000 viewers a day, which places it among channels like OWN, CNBC, NatGeo and The Disney Channel.
Is BBC the biggest news channel in the world? ›
The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online news coverage.
How big is the BBC audience? ›
426 million people access the BBC around the world each week (including World Service, Worldwide and Global News). Blue Planet II reached three quarters of a billion people. BBC iPlayer served more than 4 billion programme requests in 2019. Each week, BBC Scotland reaches around a fifth of audiences in Scotland.
| Characteristic | 2015/16 | 2022/23 |
|---|
| BBC One | 71.8% | 55% |
| BBC Two | 46.1% | 34% |
| BBC Three*** | 17.1% | 4% |
| BBC Four | 12.8% | 8% |
2 more rowsSep 7, 2023
The BBC can only be successful if it continues to create new and innovative content which breaks boundaries and sets new standards through its creativity, ambition and innovation.
Why have I lost BBC channels? ›
If you are experiencing picture break up, missing channels or the wrong regional news you may need to re-tune your TV set manually. This allows you to select the transmitter that provides the best service for your area and can solve a number of common problems.
What is the difference between BBC News and BBC World News? ›
The revamped service will combine and replace BBC World News, aimed at international audiences and funded by adverts and subscriptions, and the BBC News channel, a domestic service funded by the licence fee.
What changes is the BBC making? ›
We're making changes to our story teams, closing some roles and creating others. We are reflecting what audiences are interested in, and ensuring we operate from right across the UK, with an expanded News at One contributing to a daytime powerhouse in Salford.
Does GB News get more viewers than BBC? ›
BBC News remains the most-watched news network in the UK. Its closest rival is Sky News, which had a reach of 7.7M last month. New entrants GB News and TalkTV posted audiences of 2.8M and 1.4M respectively.
Why is TV losing popularity? ›
The falloff comes from the prevalence of cord cutting coupled with premium content and subsequently viewers leaving cable television for streaming platforms. Also, in 2023, any original scripted content still airing on cable television was impacted from the work stoppages of screenwriters and actors.
How many Americans watch BBC? ›
The BBC's own internal audience measures in 2020-2021 found a more than 30 percent increase in BBC consumption in America with BBC News across all platforms reaching nearly 50 million Americans.
