BBC Radio 1 passes 2 million YouTube followers

BBC Radio 1 now has more than 2 million subscribers to its YouTube channel, and more than 2 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, the BBC Trust revealed as part of a radio service review.

The review by the BBC’s governing body, which relates to BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 Music and Asian Network, called for BBC radio to “continue to develop its online strategy” and said it should engage on a regular basis with the UK music sector and commercial radio.

“As the current definition of ‘new’ music is becoming invalid, the BBC should work with the music industry to find a more appropriate way to define new music on BBC radio,” according to the Trust.

The review claimed that BBC Radio 1’s own website is used by around 2.5 million unique browsers each week. Though this is the highest of all the BBC’s network radio stations, it has not grown over the last few, the Trust added.

In late 2014, Radio1 launched a branded space on the BBC’s TV iPlayer, marking an extension of its existing online presence.