BBC STUDIOS PARTNERS WITH ARN’S iHEART TO REPRESENT BBC PODCASTS IN AUSTRALIA

BBC Studios and ARN’s iHeart have signed a multi-year partnership deal that will see iHeart represent BBC podcasts in Australia. iHeart will sell inventory across hundreds of hours of premium BBC podcasts as well as amplifying content in market.

The BBC is one the largest producers of audio in the world with a range of premium podcasts that are widely listened to by audiences in Australia and New Zealand, including BBC Global News Podcast, Football Daily, The Infinite Monkey Cage and History’s Youngest Heroes. Earlier this year a dedicated audio division was created in BBC Studios, paving the way for the company to fully realise the commercial opportunities in the global audio market.

ARN’s iHeart is Australia’s leading podcast publisher, reaching nearly 7 million listeners monthly with its extensive portfolio of local and international titles. Known for delivering best-in-class storytelling and engaging audio experiences, iHeart is a trusted destination for both listeners and advertisers.

This partnership provides advertisers with access to over 900,000 Australians who choose to listen to BBC content every month, further broadening the reach and scale of campaigns across ARN’s comprehensive audio network.

Louise la Grange, SVP, BBC Audio, Digital News and Streaming BBC Studios, said: “The BBC has a big and loyal podcast fan base in Australia. We’re delighted to partner with market leader iHeart for representing the BBC’s rich portfolio of shows including World of Secrets, The Global Story and You’re Dead to Me to the ad market in Australia where iHeart has enormous scale, deep expertise and a proven track record of representing premium brands.”

Corey Layton, ARN’s Head of Digital Audio, said: “The BBC is renowned for producing some of the world’s most compelling and high-quality podcasts, and we’re thrilled to bring their premium, brand-safe podcast slate to Australian audiences while delivering valuable opportunities for advertisers. By leveraging our local expertise and scale, we’re excited to amplify the reach of BBC podcasts and further cement iHeart’s position as Australia’s leading destination for audio entertainment."

Jamie Chambers, VP Ad Sales and BBC StoryWorks, BBC Studios ANZ, said:“ iHeart is an industry leader in ANZ. This partnership opens the door to advertisers looking to access scale deals in the audio space across BBC and other inventory represented by iHeart. For brands who want the very best of BBC audiences in Australia & New Zealand, we now have even greater capabilities to incorporate BBC Podcasts alongside campaigns accessing the rest of the BBC Studios portfolio including BBC.com, BBC News & BBC Studios channels on YouTube, our TV channels on Foxtel and Fetch, TopGear.com, BBC Social channels, and the recently announced FAST channels on 9Now.”

The deal follows BBC Studios’ recent announcement that it has partnered with Triton Digital, the global technology and services leader in the digital audio, podcast and radio industries.

As the commercial arm of the BBC Group, BBC Studios is responsible for the international distribution and monetisation of the BBC’s unrivalled catalogue of premium audio originals across news, technology, sports, travel, science, true crime, food, finance, and more. The newly created BBC Studios Audio division is now home to one of the largest audio production companies in Europe, as well as being the international distributor of BBC Audio content.. BBC podcasts are widely available to listeners wherever you get your podcasts.

For further information:
From BBC Studios contact: Sue.Affleck@bbc.com +61 404 604 731
From ARN’s iHeart contact: BrookeCashell@arn.com.au +61 422 729 721

About BBC Studios
The main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd, BBC Studios generated revenues in the last year of £1.8 billion and a third consecutive year of profits of over £200 million. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Media & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including bbc.com and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made more than 2,800 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide selection of public service and commercial broadcasters and platforms, both in the UK and across the globe. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.
BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |

About BBC Studios ANZ
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. The BBC Studios business in Australia and New Zealand has twelve channel brands in territory: BBC UKTV on Foxtel and Fetch TV; BBC Earth, BBC Drama, BBC News and BBC Brit on Fetch TV and six FAST channels on 9Now in Australia; and BBC UKTV, BBC Earth, BBC News, BBC First and CBeebies on Sky TV in New Zealand. BBC News is available to livestream via bbc.com and the BBC app. It operates SVOD BritBox and distributes great British content from the BBC and other British producers to free-to-air, subscription channels and SVOD platforms and works with partners to bring BBC Studios consumer products, home entertainment and live events to the local market, including for the global Aussie hit, Bluey. BBC Studios Productions Australia produces BBC formats for the local market and international streamers including Top Gear Australia, The Office Australia, Dancing with the Stars, award-winning The Great Australian Bake Off, The 1% Club and Mastermind and produces original series including Return to Paradise and Ray Martin: The Last Goodbye. BBC Studios Productions Australia owns independent production label Werner Film Productions. Our ANZ Ad Sales team offers domestic and international commercial opportunities across our broadcast and digital portfolio, including BBC.com.

About iHeart
ARN’s iHeart is the ultimate destination for audio entertainment in Australia, offering a seamless mix of radio, music, and podcasts. With the iHeart app, listeners can easily access live and local radio stations like KIIS, GOLD, and CADA, alongside thousands of live stations from around the globe. No matter your mood or moment, iHeart has the playlist to suit. From country to pop, workouts or chillouts, listeners can create their own, listen to music hand curated by their favourite stars or pick a personalised playlist generated by our AI technology. And as Australia’s #1 Podcast Publisher, iHeart boasts an extensive collection of podcasts covering news, comedy, crime, sports, and more, featuring our own titles such as Life Uncut, She’s On The Money, and Stuff You Should Know alongside titles from beyond including Mamamia, News Corp, the BBC and NPR. Available for free across over 2000 connected devices, iHeart ensures that listeners can enjoy their favourite audio content anytime, anywhere.