Radio on BBC iPlayer

BBC Radio Streams

BBC iPlayer RadioAll of the BBC’s national, local and regional stations along with the BBC World Service are available to listen to live on the internet (rights permitting), with appropriate media player software.
It is also possible to listen to BBC Radio services via the internet without having to log on to a computer. The easiest way to do this is via Wi-Fi or Internet Radio. These radios pick up radio stations streamed on the internet via an Internet connection to the radio.
There are no UK only IP restrictions on BBC radio, though some sporting coverage is blocked and overseas listeners will receive.
Visit the BBC Radio Website for information on reception and programming.

Radio Bitrates on BBC iPlayer
BBC Radio 2 on iPlayer

Since 2015, all of BBC Radio’s online content has been produced by the Audio Factory platform that provides the same quality and device support for all BBC radio stations.

Website www.audiofactory.co.uk

Audio Factory encodes BBC Radio content using the following codecs and bitrates:

  1. AAC-LC 320kbs Stereo
  2. AAC-LC 128kbs Stereo
  3. HE-AACv1 96kbs Stereo
  4. HE-AACv1 48kbs Stereo
  5. MP3 128kbs Stereo

HTTP streams are available in both UK  (320 kbp/s HLS AAC) and international variants (96 kbp/s HLS AAC), which allows those in the UK to continue to enjoy BBC Sports coverage.

HLS
HLS – HTTP Live Streaming and is a protocol developed by Apple for their iOS devices and QuickTime player. Support was added to Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) which has made HLS the ideal candidate for streaming to the widest range of mobile devices.

HDS
HDS – HTTP Dynamic Streaming was developed by Adobe as an alternative to their RTMP protocol. HDS allows for adaptive streaming over HTTP to any device that’s compatible with Adobe Flash or Air.

Station
 UK Bitrate
 Overseas Bitrate
Audio 
Description
BBC Radio 1
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Youth orientated Popular music and speech.
BBC Radio 2
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Adult-oriented Pop Music
BBC Radio 3
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Classic Music
BBC Radio 4
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
News & Speech
BBC Radio 5 Live
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Mono
Live news and sport (some UK only ip restrictions apply)
BBC Radio 5 Live Sp Extra
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Mono
Live news and sport (some UK only ip restrictions apply)
BBC 6 Music
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Classic rock Alternative rock Funk Indie Jazz Hip Hop
BBC Radio 4 Extra
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Mono
Comedy, Drama, and Chat
BBC 1Xtra
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
New Black / urban music
BBC Asian Network
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Mono
South Asian orientated
BBC World Service
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Mono
English language version of the BBC World Service
BBC Radio Scotland
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
National radio for Scotland.
BBC Radio Nan Gàidheal
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Scottish Gaelic language station.
BBC Radio Wales
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
National radio for Wales.
BBC Radio Cymru
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Welsh language service.
BBC Radio Ulster
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
National radio for Northern Ireland.
BBC Radio Foyle
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
Local radio station, serving the North West of Northern Ireland.
BBC Radio Guernsey
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
BBC local radio for Guernsey.
BBC Radio Jersey
320 kbp/s HLS AAC
96 kbp/s HLS AAC
Joint Stereo
BBC local radio for Jersey.
For local radio, see BBC Local Radio (320 kbp/s HLS AAC for all local & regional BBC stations in the UK & 96 kbp/s HLS AAC overseas.

 

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