BBC PROMS PRESS RELEASE 4.55pm on Facebook

[edashtav]

• A record-breaking season online, with more than double the number of signed-in accounts accessing BBC Proms content on iPlayer and BBC Sounds compared to last year
• Nearly 1 million people watched the First Night of the Proms on BBC Two, its strongest overnight TV audience since 2009
• Proms content reached 3.2 million on TV during the opening weekend
• A peak audience of 3.5 million people watched the Last Night of the Proms on BBC One
• Well over half the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall have been total sell-outs
• Average main evening attendance at the Hall was 93%, building on 85% in 2019
• The BBC Proms 2023 came to a close on Saturday, with the celebratory Last Night of the Proms rounding off a season that included Sir Simon Rattle’s final concerts as Music Director of the LSO; a full concert staging of Berlioz’s epic opera The Trojans – the first in the UK for more than ten years; the first ever weekend-long Proms festival at Sage Gateshead, in collaboration with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and opened by Self Esteem; orchestral celebrations of Northern Soul and Bollywood; and music from Rufus Wainwright, Jon Hopkins and the first ever Fado Prom with Portuguese star, Mariza.
  
  The BBC Orchestras and Choirs performed in 32 Proms, more than one third of the total concerts performed. The BBC Singers performed in five Proms: the First Night and the Last Night, with Sir Simon Rattle and Jon Hopkins and in their own Late Night Prom showcasing their huge range of repertoire.
  
  Audiences flocked to the Royal Albert Hall with well over half the main evening concerts selling out and an average audience attendance across the season at the Hall of 93%. This is up 7% on pre-pandemic levels in 2019. More than 70,000 Prommers, who stood in either the arena or gallery of the Royal Albert hall, were welcomed across the season.
  
  Nearly half (47%) of audiences at the Royal Albert Hall were attending a Prom for the first time. The Proms also partnered with TikTok to relaunch their classical music hashtag, and Proms videos have been viewed more than 1 million times on the platform, which is primarily used by people aged 18 to 34. Proms video content had its best-ever performance on social media, with audiences to the BBC's social platforms delivering more than 16 million video views.
  
  Sam Jackson, Controller of Radio 3 says: "This has been a fantastic year for the Proms, and demonstrates the country’s appetite for classical music from the BBC. In multiple ways, audiences are higher than pre-pandemic figures, and I’m particularly pleased to see so many young people coming to classical music, often for the very first time. As ever, every BBC Prom has been broadcast live on Radio 3, and a wealth of Proms content is now available on BBC Sounds. Work now begins to deliver another brilliant season in 2024; we look forward to revealing more next April."
  
  Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV says: "Television audiences across this year’s Proms are their strongest in years, and I’m delighted that major moments in the cultural calendar, such as the First Night and the Last Night, are reaching so many millions of people. I’d like to thank our TV teams for their superlative work in continuing to create ‘gold-standard’ concert coverage – watched globally, and the envy of the world. And a big thank you to all our presenters across the season, who have done an incredible job on TV and radio alike, sharing their musical passion, knowledge and enthusiasm.
  
  "As the home of classical on TV, the BBC continues to showcase the very best in classical music throughout the year, ranging from BBC Young Musician and Cardiff Singer of the World to Inside Classical, operas, ballet and award-winning documentaries – and we hope audiences continue to enjoy the rich classical offerings still to come on BBC TV."
  
  JH / FE

[Serial_Apologist]

So that's all right then.

[edashtav]

So that's all right then.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Good to know the BBC still knows how to pat itself on its back,

[french frank]

"Nearly half (47%) of audiences at the Royal Albert Hall were attending a Prom for the first time."

It would be interesting - in a sort of way - to know how many of those were attending a classical music Prom. They had plenty of others to choose from.

[DracoM]

Spot on, FF!
Ah, but 'Proms' name is now associated with so much bigger a pot-pourri of styles, aims, and content than ever before, so....?? How many boxes does the BBC want it to tick?

[JasonPalmer]

Well done to the bbc but it would be interesting to know how many introduced to classical music by the proms become radio 3 listeners ....

[Pulcinella]

"Nearly half (47%) of audiences at the Royal Albert Hall were attending a Prom for the first time."

It would be interesting - in a sort of way - to know how many of those were attending a classical music Prom. They had plenty of others to choose from.

How do they know: did they ask everyone buying a ticket?

[french frank]

How do they know: did they ask everyone buying a ticket?

I don't know the answer, but I'd be fairly sure the non-classical Proms got wider publicity through both the BBC and the general media . A few years ago the media tried hard not to marvel at the idea that the Proms were hosting e.g. Pet Shop Boys. They may have got more used to the idea now.

In answer to Jason: a few years back the BBC was worried by the number of Promsgoers who didn't listen to Radio 3. Do they think more of them listen now with Essential Classics, Classical Fix, This Classical Life? My guess would be that it might well be fewer.

[Bryn]

How do they know: did they ask everyone buying a ticket?

More likely, they may have asked a pseudo-randomised sample and extrapolated an estimate from the result.

[gurnemanz]

"Nearly half (47%) of audiences at the Royal Albert Hall were attending a Prom for the first time."

As well as being a dubious stat, it is dubiously expressed, since an audience is a collective noun denoting all those attending. It would surely only make sense as a statement if it referred to audience members.

[Master Jacques]

As well as being a dubious stat, it is dubiously expressed, since an audience is a collective noun denoting all those attending. It would surely only make sense as a statement if it referred to audience members.

It is all that, gurnemanz.

It would also be nothing to brag about, if by some fluke it was statistically sound: if only 53% of your audience are return visitors to the Proms, it doesn't say much for your ability to build a loyal customer base.

[Serial_Apologist]

Good to know the BBC still knows how to pat itself on its back,

Exactly.

[smittims]

So, Sam, the success of the Proms shows how popular classical music is, does it? Well, how about making the Proms 100% classical next year? Hmm? Isn't that the logical next step, Sam?

[oddoneout]

It is all that, gurnemanz.

It would also be nothing to brag about, if by some fluke it was statistically sound: if only 53% of your audience are return visitors to the Proms, it doesn't say much for your ability to build a loyal customer base.

Or the appeal of the programming?