Media company BBC Studios has announced the launch of a premium subscription service on Apple Podcasts in Australia.
Subscribers of the BBC Podcasts Premium channel will gain early access and ad-free listening to a range of shows across the BBC portfolio, including hit history podcast You’re Dead To Me, sports podcast Football Daily, and current affairs show BBC Global News Podcast.
“The BBC is one of the largest producers of audio in the world. BBC Podcast Premium means Australian audiences now have a one-stop destination that curates the best of that BBC audio content,” said BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand general manager Fiona Lang. “The BBC brand acts as a marker of quality in a crowded content market and I’m delighted that we have a subscription audio channel to sit alongside our suite of branded television channels.”
In addition to early access and ad-free listening, channel subscribers will also be able to download the full box sets of certain BBC podcasts including science podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, history podcast Killing Victoria and series two of true-crime podcast Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley. The subscription channel is now available to Australian users for a monthly payment of AUD $4.49 (£2.57) or $49.99 (£27.45) annually, and a seven day free trial is also available for new users.
BBC Podcasts Premium first debuted to the US and Canadian market in 2021 where it amassed positive response from subscribers and was ranked as one of the top 20 Apple Podcasts subscriber channels in 2022. This subscription service made it easier for audiences in the US and Canada to access BBC podcast shows, including exclusive shows such as 5 Minutes On, which explores the stories behind headlines at the BBC.
“The BBC is a world leader in audio content and the success of BBC Podcasts Premium in the US and Canada has shown that audiences really value the opportunity to access the best of our world-renowned impartial news and quality, distinctive podcasts in this way,” said BBC Studios EVP and digital news and streaming managing director Jennie Baird. “I am delighted that we are now able to make this offering available to Australian audiences on Apple Podcasts.”
In recent news, the BBC had come under fire on Twitter after the former producer of Doctor Who: Redacted shared a statement expressing her heartbreak about being replaced by James Goss in the second series of the podcast without any explanation, months after she left her full-time position at the BBC and went freelance.
