BBC Podcasts Premium, a subscription service by BBC Studios, has made its debut in New Zealand exclusively on Apple Podcasts.
This expansion marks the fourth territory where the service is now available, following its successful launch in Australia, Canada, and the US. In 2022, the service gained significant popularity and ranked among the top 20 subscriber channels on Apple Podcasts.
BBC Podcasts Premium offers ad-free early access to shows like In Our Time, Believe in Magic, People Who Knew Me and Vishal, and ad-free versions of popular shows across news, history, true crime, pop culture and science including BBC Global News Podcast, Business Daily and Football Daily.
Jennie Baird, BBC Studios EVP and MD of Digital News and Streaming, says: “The BBC is a world leader in audio content, from our world-renowned impartial news to a host of entertaining and informative podcasts that cover a diverse range of subjects and interests. Audiences in the US, Canada and Australia have embraced the opportunity to access our podcasts through this service and I’m delighted that we are now able to make this offering available to audiences in New Zealand on Apple Podcasts.”
Fiona Lang, General Manager of BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, says: “It’s only two months since we launched BBC Podcasts Premium in Australia and already we are seeing strong demand so I’m pleased that we are now able to offer the same experience to listeners in New Zealand. This makes a curated selection of the best of the BBC’s extensive, quality podcast offering available at a one-stop destination, adding a subscription audio channel to our suite of branded television channels.”
With BBC Podcasts Premium, listeners get early ad-free access to box sets of a range of shows including Believe in Magic, the latest gripping investigative series from Jamie Bartlett (The Missing Cryptoqueen) which unravels the disturbing story behind Megan Bhari’s celebrity charity; Vishal, which traces the story of how a tip-off leads a BBC investigation into the unsolved child murder of Vishal Mehrotra and the discovery of a pedophile on the run; and fictional series People Who Knew Me voiced by award-winning actress Rosamund Pike; as well as episodes of Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time, the definitive explanatory history series covering science, religion, philosophy and more.
Subscribers also instantly unlock ad-free editions of some of the BBC’s best podcasts, including BBC Global News Podcast, with twice daily briefings on weekdays and daily editions on weekends; Football Daily, keeping fans up to date with what is happening across the Premier League, EFL and WSL; Lazarus Heist, the story of a secretive ring of elite North Korean hackers; Fairy Meadow,investigating the disappearance of three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer from an Australian beach in 1970; health and well-being series Just One Thing with Michael Mosley; and You’re Dead To Me, the comedic history podcast for people who don’t like history.
BBC Podcasts Premium is available now from the BBC Podcasts channel on Apple Podcasts for NZ $4.99 per month or at an annual price of NZ$49.99 a year. A free 7-day trial is available.
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