WITH Adele’s upcoming third studio album, “25,” looking set to dominate international charts over the festive period and well into the new year, the BBC has taken full advantage of the British singer’s long-awaited return to the stage.

    “Adele — Live at the BBC,” an hourlong special aired on BBC One on Friday — the same day 25 was released — has been sold by BBC Worldwide to a raft of international networks, including in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and many European countries.

    The show, which has been renamed “Adele — Live in London” for international audiences, was recorded Nov. 2 with BBC regular Graham Norton as host. It is the singer’s first television appearance since she performed “Skyfall” at the 2013 Oscars, where she picked up the Academy Award for best original song. Accompanied by her live band, Adele performed a selection of older numbers and tracks from her new album for the BBC special and discussed her life and career to date.

    Meanwhile, the album “25” looks set to break the modern record for first week sales, the makers of the benchmark U.S. chart said Saturday. Billboard, the music industry journal that publishes weekly charts, said that “25” appeared likely to sell at least 2.5 million copies in the United States.

    “No Strings Attached” by NSYNC is the only other album that opened with sales above 2 million since systematic weekly tracking began in 1991. Adele’s label chose not to make “25” available through streaming, the vast-growing platforms that offer unlimited, on-demand music online. “25” is still available for purchase digitally and sold 900,000 copies on iTunes in the United States on the first day, according to Billboard. (SD-Agencies)