BBC Sounds BBC Sounds sets a blueprint for broadcaster podcast strategy

Sounds is the BBC’s successor audio app to iPlayer Radio, combining live radio, on-demand programmes, music, and podcasts. Although it faced some resistance to the app initially – predominately from older audiences fearful of change – Sounds has quickly become the best performing broadcaster audio app across the markets that MIDiA tracks. The BBC’s Sounds app (33%) is the second most-used platform for podcasts after Spotify (37%) and far ahead of Apple in third (23%).

Crucially, the BBC has tied content strategy intimately with product strategy. Rather than just embark on a strategy of producing more podcasts, the BBC used Sounds as a platform for driving awareness and adoption of podcasts, and for migrating its offline audiences to digital.

BBC Sounds and its accompanying podcast strategy provide a blueprint for other national broadcasters. Fundamentally, the BBC has recognised that radio broadcasters cannot simply rely on (potentially) superior content, but must make an app-centric product strategy the core of an integrated audio strategy, in order to drive podcast adoption and audience transition. UK commercial broadcaster, Global, has followed a similarly tightly-focused, integrated approach. For other radio companies, acting fast is critical. The more that Spotify invests in podcast content, the more it will increase its share of listening.