21/06/2004

BBC World Service on top with 146m global audience

BBC World Service remains the world's leading international radio broadcaster with a weekly global audience estimate of 146 million, according to new audience figures released today.

The figures equate to at least 50% more listeners than any comparable international radio broadcaster. However, the new global audience estimates show a drop of 4 million radio listeners compared to 2003's global audience estimate of 150 million.

BBC World Service is now available on FM in 139 capital cities – around 72% of the world's total.

The BBC World Service site attracted 279 million monthly page impressions in March 2004, this equates to over 16 million unique users a month. This is a rise equivalent to eight million new monthly users of the BBC's international news sites during the 13 months between February 2003 and March 2004.

Independent surveys in top markets also showed that the BBC World Service is the most trusted and objective international broadcaster when compared to its main radio competitors in each market.

"Continuing investment is enabling BBC World Service to maintain its transformation from a short wave broadcaster to a modern multi-media organisation which reaches out to new audiences," said BBC World Service's Acting Director Nigel Chapman.

"We are determined to accelerate our investment in high quality programmes and press even harder to find more effective means of distribution to combat the effect of short wave decline."

A separate group of surveys of 16 selected markets around the world including Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and America reveals that overall, BBC World Service is the most trusted and objective international broadcaster compared to its main competitors in each market.

The BBC World Service's global audience figures reached a high in 2001 with 153 million listeners.

(gmcg)

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