WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:03.819 I'm James Cridland, the radio futurologist, and 00:00:03.819 --> 00:00:06.360 every week or so I write a newsletter all about 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.119 the future of radio and international radio trends. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:13.039 And this is it for February the 12th, 2025, BBC 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:17.719 Audio for international users. Embargoes and 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.320 in -advanced briefings are always slightly odd 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:23.839 at the best of times. You chat amiably with a 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.359 senior member of staff, but nothing can be used 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:29.609 until X date. It's a helpful thing for journalists. 00:00:29.850 --> 00:00:32.329 But in this case, an in -advanced briefing with 00:00:32.329 --> 00:00:35.149 a PR person who had to wake at 4 .30 his time 00:00:35.149 --> 00:00:36.929 to tell you that there's a strict embargo on 00:00:36.929 --> 00:00:39.850 using the information until X date was rather 00:00:39.850 --> 00:00:42.429 undermined by an announcement containing much 00:00:42.429 --> 00:00:44.289 of this information being posted by the same 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:47.909 company six hours beforehand. The BBC, for it 00:00:47.909 --> 00:00:50.429 was them, made an announcement about the new 00:00:50.429 --> 00:00:53.289 availability of audio on the BBC .com website. 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:56.320 which appeared in my news aggregation tools that 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.240 I use for pod news, so I quickly blogged about 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:01.619 it before a call unveiling much of this information 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:05.359 to me under an embargo that the BBC had already 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:07.340 comprehensively broken six hours previously. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:10.719 A bit awkward. Anyway, the substance of the public 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:13.180 announcement, and respecting additional detail 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:16.900 which remains under embargo, is there's a new 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.180 website for international users called BBC Audio. 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.379 and it offers podcasts and live radio for international 00:01:24.379 --> 00:01:27.640 users. For me, it's now linked from the desktop 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:30.299 website, but not from the app. I think it's rolling 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:34.340 out. The FAQ includes a question saying, will 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:37.120 I lose all my subscribed and bookmarked content 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:39.900 from BBC Sounds, which looks very much to me 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:42.459 as if this is a replacement for international 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:46.640 users for BBC Sounds. The FAQ says that nothing 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.480 will be transferred. And in my opinion, that's 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:52.060 not true, because the new BBC Audio website has 00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:55.260 a continue listening rail, which knows what shows 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:58.700 I listened to on BBC Sounds, which is nice. The 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:02.319 only radio stations on BBC Audio are BBC World 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:06.159 Service. and BBC Radio 4, due to rights restrictions, 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:09.340 it says. No local radio, no international music 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:12.580 radio. Now, the FAQ says that most of the BBC's 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:14.620 programmes are available to listen to on demand, 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:17.979 but in reality, none of the BBC's programmes 00:02:17.979 --> 00:02:21.139 on World Service or Radio 4 are available as 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:23.620 catch -up radio on the BBC Audio website, although 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:27.319 many of them are available in podcast form. And 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:30.180 that's probably fair enough, because the podcasts 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:33.199 are supported by Advertising Outside the UK, 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:37.259 as we're told on every podcast. All the podcasts 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:40.620 will start with the BBC Sounds ident still, and 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:44.000 I hope that goes away, almost as unloved by me 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:46.599 as the note that this podcast is sponsored by 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:49.800 Advertising Outside the UK. Now, not calling 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:51.560 myself a radio futurologist or anything, but 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:54.419 back in November, I predicted this might happen. 00:02:55.069 --> 00:02:57.650 Given the messy experience using BBC Sounds, 00:02:57.889 --> 00:03:00.789 advertising in BBC Sounds simply couldn't work 00:03:00.789 --> 00:03:03.750 alongside music content in a grey area of music 00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:06.490 rights due to an accident of history. And it 00:03:06.490 --> 00:03:08.770 looks as if I got it pretty well correct. I'm 00:03:08.770 --> 00:03:12.610 pretty delighted that BBC Radio 4 will continue 00:03:12.610 --> 00:03:14.889 to exist for international listeners though. 00:03:15.069 --> 00:03:18.030 And assuming that this replaces BBC Sounds and 00:03:18.030 --> 00:03:20.830 assuming too that BBC Domestic Music Radio will 00:03:20.830 --> 00:03:24.039 eventually be geo -blocked outside the UK. There 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:26.560 will be many people disappointed at losing Radio 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:29.379 1 or Radio 2 or Six Music, and I've got sympathy 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:33.319 with that. But also, I want the BBC to succeed. 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:37.000 And in order to succeed, it needs to be as commercially 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:39.639 nimble as it possibly can be outside the UK. 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:44.120 And it can't afford to both earn from non -UK 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.180 audiences and make music radio available. So 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:52.680 this is a necessary step. And at last, a strategy. 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.400 Radio Monitor released stats suggesting that 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:01.300 radio is significantly bigger than Spotify. Sabrina 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:04.500 Carpenter's Espresso got 1 .6 billion streams 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:08.159 on Spotify globally in 2024, but was heard 1 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:13.599 .3 billion times on radio in the UK alone. Radio 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.459 is, on average, 10 times bigger than Spotify, 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:20.350 the data suggests. Along with Raja numbers, BBC 00:04:20.350 --> 00:04:23.209 Sounds released its consumption data for quarter 00:04:23.209 --> 00:04:27.110 four 2024. Its weekly audience grew by three 00:04:27.110 --> 00:04:29.949 percent quarter on quarter. Now, it's not clear 00:04:29.949 --> 00:04:33.850 to me how that splits UK versus non -UK or even 00:04:33.850 --> 00:04:36.569 if it does. Be interesting to see what happens 00:04:36.569 --> 00:04:41.860 if stroke when BBC Sounds gets closed. In Australia, 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:45.399 the big media story is a fill -in radio presenter 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.660 alleging unlawful termination of her contract 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:51.720 by the ABC. Notice how I say nothing about that. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:56.449 Apart from, you know. The fact. Kyle and Jackie 00:04:56.449 --> 00:05:00.310 O's new advertising in Melbourne is quite funny. 00:05:00.410 --> 00:05:02.230 It says, thank you for making us number one in 00:05:02.230 --> 00:05:04.009 Melbourne. And then somebody has hilariously 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:05.689 crossed out the number one and written number 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:09.509 eight. Kyle now does have a health scare, though. 00:05:09.569 --> 00:05:11.569 And whatever I think of that show, the man deserves 00:05:11.569 --> 00:05:14.629 good luck and good health. So best of luck to 00:05:14.629 --> 00:05:18.430 him. I'm told that last week I mentioned the 00:05:18.430 --> 00:05:22.730 average age figures from Raja. And I'm told that 00:05:22.730 --> 00:05:25.529 they were based on listeners, not on hours. So 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:27.769 a 53 -year -old who listens to two minutes of 00:05:27.769 --> 00:05:30.149 Radio 1 in a week before his ears bleed and he 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:32.850 retreats to Scott Mills on Radio 2 will count 00:05:32.850 --> 00:05:35.550 just as much as a 15 -year -old who listens to 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:38.389 Radio 1 for six hours a day. I would be fascinated 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:41.170 at seeing average age by listener hour for each 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:44.930 station if anybody wants to do that. And finally, 00:05:45.009 --> 00:05:48.230 a favour if you produce podcasts or you are otherwise 00:05:48.230 --> 00:05:51.470 responsible for getting podcasts out there. I 00:05:51.470 --> 00:05:53.550 will be super grateful if you'd fill in the PodNews 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:57.029 report card. Your data is important to each of 00:05:57.029 --> 00:05:59.910 the big podcast platforms who partially rely 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:02.649 on data from this survey to get developer resource 00:06:02.649 --> 00:06:05.209 internally. It'll take you less than 10 minutes. 00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:08.490 PodNews .net slash report card, please and thank 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:11.779 you. Next, I'm speaking at Radio Days Europe 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:16.040 in Athens in Greece in early March. Perhaps I 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.600 will see you there. And thank you to my many 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:23.720 supporters, including Broadcast Radio, Radio 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:27.959 King and Media Realm. If you would like to support 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:29.839 my work in any way, you can buy me a coffee. 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:32.139 Buymeacoffee .com slash James Cridland is where 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:35.379 to go. Or you can do that with Stripe in a link 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:37.939 in our show notes. I'm on Blue Sky as well and 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:42.860 on Masters. and my website is james .cridland 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:46.779 .net and you can find much more information about 00:06:46.779 --> 00:06:50.199 me and if I can help you any further. But until 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:51.860 next time, keep listening.