The majority of our programmes are available to listen to on demand for 30 days after broadcast. If you're listening to a series, it's best to check that all the episodes are currently available so you don't miss out on any parts of the story.
Some programmes for which the BBC owns the rights have a much longer availability period. However, some have shorter availability periods, or may not be available on demand at all, due to rights issues. This is mainly the case for sporting events.
BBC Sounds website
The episode availability will be displayed underneath the playback screen, just above the episode description.
BBC Sounds app on mobiles and tablets
Tap on the episode or music mix and scroll down to see how long that episode is still available for.
BBC Sounds on connected TVs
Once you've found the episode you want to listen to, select it, or select More info. You'll see how long you have left to listen on the right-hand side.
How long are downloads available for?
Downloaded programmes have the same availability as their on-demand counterparts, so if an episode is available for 30 days on demand, it will also only be available for 30 days as a download. Once it's outrun its availability, it will be removed from the Downloads section on the BBC Sounds app. Podcasts are different, though. Take a look at the advice below for information on podcast availability.
How long are podcasts available for?
Once you've downloaded a podcast, it's yours to keep and has no expiry date. Podcasts that aren't downloaded (i.e. streamed online) may only be available for a short while - most for just seven days - so it's best to download it if you want to keep it for longer.