BBC News grew its global audience by 4 million people in 2024/25 as coverage of international conflicts, crises and elections drew audiences in.
The majority of the BBC’s international audience came to the BBC World Service (World Service English, World Service Languages) with content reaching 313 million people on average every week.
In the Middle East, BBC News Arabic grew its weekly audience reach to 39.5 million – an increase of nearly 13% – with growth across Arabic TV and digital programming as well as 1.2 million listeners tuning into the Gaza and Syrian lifeline radio services. The fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Israel-Gaza conflict both contributed to significant boosts in audiences.
BBC News Persian saw audiences rise by a dramatic 38% to 24 million as Persian-speakers in Iran and around the world sought out the latest news amid unrest in the region. Despite the challenges of reaching audiences across Iran, the service’s TV channel – the largest international news channel in Iran – is viewed by a record audience of 14 million. The BBC now reaches one in four people in Iran every week.
Jonathan Munro, Global Director and Deputy CEO, BBC News, said: “In the past year, the heightened global news agenda has seen audiences come to the BBC for news they can trust in times of instability and insecurity. Despite the decrease in press freedom and increased competition, the BBC has stepped up when audiences need our services the most – from elections and conflict, to the upheaval in Syria and unrest in Bangladesh.
The BBC’s news in English across World Service English, BBC.com and the BBC News channel grew its audience to 198 million people weekly, an increase of 7 million year-on-year. The BBC News channel builds on its success last year to grow its audience in the UK and around the world to 102 million.
The BBC’s biggest international market is India, followed by the United States, Nigeria, Iran, and Tanzania.
