Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The brand-new app includes music mingles as well as podcasts and live radio
BBC Sounds, a brand-new app that brings together the corporation’s radio, music and podcasts, is hoping to entice more younger people to listen to the BBC.
The app supersedes BBC iPlayer Radio, and James Purnell, head of radio and education, “re saying it” would allow the BBC to “lean in to the podcast revolution”.
The old-time app was simply used by 3% of parties under the age of 35 each week.
“We do act younger people less well than older people and we have to do more for them, ” Mr Purnell said.
Last week, regulator Ofcom said the corporation “needs to take significant steps” to reach young people.
BBC Sounds will offer “all of BBC audio at your fingertips”, Mr Purnell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The app, which will render 80,000 hours of BBC audio, had a soft open in June but is being promoted fully from this week.
Mr Purnell said it “will be personalised, we’ll recommend content, edit collections … make it a lot easier for you to find your favourites”.
Image caption BBC podcasts including You, ME and the Big C are available on the app
It will also include a brand-new Today programme spin-off, Beyond Today.
Mr Purnell computed: “We’re now to bring best available to everyone, that’s the BBC’s role and if we’re not providing young people as well as in the past then that will create a problem for our society.”
He advised: “If we keep it accurately as it has been, in 10 or 20 times age we won’t have the brilliant BBC radio that we have today.”
The experience of listening to live radio returns the new app an advantage over its competitors, he added.
“It’s one of its most important circumstances that we have that no one is of our adversaries – the big streamers – have. So we remember radio is utterly center to it.
“But we can complement it with podcasts, with amazing music combinations from our very best knack – we can do both.”
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