BBC Radio Streams
All 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.
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:
- AAC-LC 320kbs Stereo
- AAC-LC 128kbs Stereo
- HE-AACv1 96kbs Stereo
- HE-AACv1 48kbs Stereo
- 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. |