The Impact of the BBC - Sport
The UK’s most widely used sport service
For over 100 years the BBC has been the place the whole of the UK can come together for the moments that matter most, with sport right at the heart of that offer.
Our reputation is unrivalled. We bring sport to the widest possible audience, from the biggest international events to the occasions etched into the history of our local communities.
In a world increasingly fragmented by global sport content providers, where rights inflation continues to soar, the BBC’s ongoing ability to bring together tens of millions of fans as part of our national story is a precious asset worth protecting.
And because of our deep connection with our audience, we’re able to inspire people and champion undervalued sports through our editorial expertise, high-impact campaigns, and participative events, working with partners across the UK to drive positive societal impact.
The UK’s most widely used sport service
49 million
Nearly 49m people came to BBC Sport platforms across online, TV and radio in 2025 – that’s nearly 18.4m a week
40%
BBC Sport achieves almost 40% of total sport viewing in the UK, despite accounting for around 1% of TV broadcast sport hours, home to iconic brands such as Match of the Day and our Wimbledon coverage. A big proportion of our reach is underpinned by the Listed Events regime, designed to protect the availability of live coverage of major sporting occasions on free-to-air television
No. 1
Our sport radio offer - principally 5 live & Sports Extra - is the most listened to sports radio service in the UK, also home to much-loved brands such as Test Match Special and Sports Report
45 million
Innovation and impact: half of all individuals’ time spent with sport websites and apps in the UK is with the BBC; we have 45 million followers on social platforms racking up 3.35 billion video views in 2025; and we’re trialling new AI tools to enhance our offer for audiences even futher
Bringing the nation together for unforgettable moments
- 2025 Summer of Sport: the Women’s Rugby World Cup was watched by over 12m people; and the Women’s Euros reached 22.5m on the BBC
- 2024 Summer of Sport: across all platforms, 90% of the adult popualtion came to the BBC during the final two weeks of the Men’s Euros and Wimbledon; and 74% of the population enjoyed the Euros, Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics on BBC TV alone
- In total, the Olympics reached 36.7m viewers, and the BBC’s Euros coverage reached 40m viewers with the men’s final attracting a peak audience of 19.3m
Making a positive societal impact with partners across the UK
30 million
Women’s sport is a UK success story that proves the critical value of free to air broadcasting – nearly 30m UK adults now describe themselves as fans of women’s sport; and last summer 27m people watched the Women’s Euros on BBC and ITV, that’s 3 times the number who watched in 2017 and 10 times in 2009; our Names Will Be Made campaign also reached over 90% of UK adults
1 billion
Couch to 5k is a unique collaboration between the BBC and the NHS - a free fitness app which is on track for 8m downloads since 2016 and has encouraged 1 billion minutes of running
Have your say on the BBC's future
Search by Tag:
- Tagged with ArticleArticle
