MUMBAI: The BBC has made  a U-turn on plans to plaster ads around its licence fee-funded podcasts, after a right old public controversy. The broadcaster's annual plan for 2025-26 confirmed that it  had  ruled out the idea, following a barrage of feedback.

"We have listened to feedback and having considered the options carefully, we have decided to rule out placing adverts around BBC licence-fee funded programmes on third party podcast platforms in the UK," the BBC stated, effectively slamming the door on the ad plans.

AudioUK, the trade body representing independent podcast and audio producers, welcomed the decision, but they're still keeping a beady eye on BBC Studios' commercial activities. They're worried that the BBC's commercial arm, with its "powerful" presence, could disrupt the fledgling UK podcast market.

"We remain concerned about the BBC’s entry into the UK podcast advertising market through content produced by the BBC Studios," AudioUK said in a statement. "The potential disruption caused by such a large player entering the space without full consideration of its impact on these businesses is troubling."

AudioUK CEO Chloe Straw called for "greater engagement" from BBC Studios, urging it to "support, rather than disrupt" the developing podcast ecosystem. She's keen to see the Beeb join the "vibrant, collaborative space" that independent producers have built.

"Whilst the UK podcasting industry is thriving and growing rapidly, it remains relatively young and has been largely built and driven by the creativity, innovation and investment of over 200 SMEs, many of them regional and diverse," Straw said.

AudioUK is also keen to see "greater transparency and research" from the BBC on how it intends to grow the market, alongside the many other organisations and businesses already working to attract advertising investment.