Radioplayer is an online audio player which gives you access to live, on demand and podcast radio from hundreds of stations in the UK. Radioplayer is a not for profit company founded by the BBC, Global Radio, Guardian Media Group, Absolute Radio and RadioCentre to serve radio and its audiences by making listening easy.
This Web app is designed to bring the BBC’s own publicly funded radio stations together with a wide range of commercial stations, making them available together for the first time. Rather than offer a directory of the stations, the BBC has opted for a simple, freetext search box. Users can search for a station, a location, a specific programme or presenter, or a subject that they’ are interested in. Radioplayer is a search engine for UK radio, with the ability to listen right from pop-up browser window.
Live streamed stations and catch-up services from many stations are all included and you can save your favourite stations as presets, allowing you to come back to them without having to set up or log in to an account. Advertising is displayed within the pop-up player for commercial stations, although not for BBC stations, which flips into the familiar iPlayer interface.
Once you are accustomed to the pop-up interface and the search-only interface, Radioplayer is a great site to access a wide range of UK radio programming easily available from a central location. However, visiting the main website for the first time, some users may be confused by the lack of much more than a text entry box, there is no guide highlighting interesting programmes, although given the number of partners involved in the project, that is probably the simplest solution of ensuring that the project is fair and neutral to all broadcasters.
Website: www.radioplayer.co.uk
Since 2006, many of the UK’s commercial radio stations have been restricting live stream access to users from the United Kingdom only. This came as a response to PPL’s announcement that they would only grant radio stations the webcasting rights to stream to audiences within the UK only, or to face additional costs. Many of these stations are available throughout Europe free-to-air on satellite.
Some radio stations which are blocked (Geoblocked) on their websites, are available through Radioplayer, however this may change in the future.
UK Radioplayer Desktop App
There is an Adobe AIR app for computers, it works with Windows, Apple OS and Linux machines.
If you use the Chrome browser, you can add a Radioplayer extension.
Listen to Radioplayer while you are on Facebook, share great programmes with friends.
Using Radioplayer
The desktop version and versions available for Android and Apple iOS devices, have a slightly different interface, this guide will mainly focus on the desktop version, though the Android and iOS versions will also be covered.
This is the Radioplayer website and search. Once you have found a station under search click on to listen.
Download the Radioplayer desktop app, for faster access to Radioplayer, listen on mobile phones and tablets, apps available for Android and Apple iOS devices. Windows 8 phone users will have to use the main website for access.
Radioplayer on Android, Apple iOS, Windows Phone & Kindle Fire
There is a Radioplayer app available for Android and Apple iOS devices, please note that some stations are Geoblocked on these apps, though available through the desktop app without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
The apps available for the various platforms seem to be identical, the Radioplayer app for iOS does seem to have been designed for the iPhone more than the iPad, although you can enlarge the screen, the graphics do not look good on the iPad at present.
There are a number of options available on the main page, Live radio, Recommended and catch-up. You can also access Settings, information about the app and Intro page.
Use the Search box at the top of the app to search for stations, or look under Live radio to browse alphabetically. Use the drop down menu to see programme information, along with options to add the current station to favourites, Tweet on Twitter or share on Facebook. Browse stations alphabetically under Live radio.
Radioplayer offers the option to catch-up on previously broadcast programmes. Search catch-up either by using the search bar or browse by categories.
