According to the UK Press Gazette, the BBC now claims a weekly global audience of 308 million people, "after adding in Facebook, Youtube and 'entertainment'" to the way it calculates its figures.
The corporation aims to reach 500 million people by 2022.
The BBC said in a press release that, for the first time, television (148m a week) overtook radio (133m a week). Online attracted 55m a week.
It said the World Service’s audience has increased by 10 per cent to 210m, with BBC World Service English recording a weekly reach of 52m, up 25 per cent.
Fran Unsworth, director of the BBC World Service, said: “These amazing figures demonstrate the importance and impact of the BBC around the world.
“In times of crisis and in countries lacking media freedom, people around the world turn to the BBC for trusted and accurate information."
That's why the BBC needs closely watching.
