BBC Studios announced today the expansion of its BBC Podcasts Premium subscription service to 166 countries around the globe. The subscription service operates through the Apple Podcasts platform.
This marks a major expansion for the subscription service, which debuted in 2021 in the U.S. and Canada and was expanded to listeners in Australia and New Zealand in March 2023.
“With a wide, inventive slate of audio content that includes everything from daily news to sports analysis to pop culture to fiction and more, we’re incredibly excited to continue to expand our relationship with Apple to reach more listeners globally,” stated Louise la Grange, senior vice president for audio distribution at BBC Studios. “Through BBC Podcasts Premium, we’re inviting new audiences around the world into this seamless, premium listening experience to hear the very best of our audio journalism and storytelling.”
The move follows announced plans to transfer some audio production responsibilities from BBC Radio to BBC Studios and the establishment of a new audio production unit within BBC Studios. Richard Knight heads up the new division, while la Grange oversees international audio distribution and monetization. BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group, responsible for production and distribution of BBC-banded content, channels, and services in the United Kingdom and around the world.
BBC Podcasts Premium gives subscribers ad-free, early access to a range of BBC podcasts, including news, true crime, pop culture, history, science, and fiction programs. Since the service’s launch in 2021, BBC Podcasts Premium has been a regular fixture in Apple’s Top 10 subscriber channels, and its podcast “Dua Lipa: At Your Service” was named one of Apple Podcasts Shows We Love for 2023.
Coinciding with the expansion of the subscription service is the launch of “The Global Story,” a new daily news podcast. Hosted by Katya Adler, “The Global Story” provides deep coverage of a single story, drawing upon BBC journalists and expertise from all over the world.
