Overseas audiences will no longer be able to listen to many of the BBC’s radio stations after the broadcaster decided to limit access to its audio streaming services.
In the coming weeks, the BBC Sounds streaming service – which features access to all the corporation's radio stations – will be available only to listeners in the UK.
Popular stations such as Radio 4 and the World Service have already been made available on the BBC website and app, alongside a selection of podcasts – which bosses said amounted to "thousands of hours" – as alternative paths to the streaming service.
The BBC has advertising on its website for users outside the UK and the change is intended to generate commercial income by shifting BBC Sounds listeners. The change is expected to take place in the spring, although a date has yet to be set.
Users in Britain who go on holiday overseas will be able to use BBC Sounds for a short period. BBC content that is available on other platforms, such as Spotify, will still be available to users outside the UK.
Listeners can use virtual private networks to bypass the geo-blocking. Among the top VPN networks used to access iPlayer, the BBC’s video streaming service, are the subscription-based ProtonVPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
The BBC said the changes would "offer better value for UK listeners".
“BBC Studios recently launched a new listening experience outside the UK on BBC.com and the BBC app, which includes thousands of hours of podcasts, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service alongside the BBC's journalism and storytelling,” a spokeswoman said.
"As part of this launch, later this year the BBC will be making BBC Sounds available exclusively to UK audiences, which will offer better value for UK listeners.
World Service scaled back
The BBC is scaling back its World Service, raising concerns about the UK’s soft power overseas.
The World Service’s foreign affairs flagship programme HARDTalk – which broadcast in-depth interviews with major political leaders – aired its last programme after nearly 20 years this month. Additional cuts to the station were made in February, including 130 jobs.
BBC Arabic radio was among 10 foreign language services to stop broadcasting in 2023, as the corporation said it would invest more in its Arabic TV and digital services. The BBC's director general Tim Davie said the decision to do so led to the loss of about 40 million listeners.
Russian-backed news services began broadcasting in Lebanon on the former BBC Arabic frequency, leading to acknowledgement that the service's closure may have been a mistake.
Up until 2014, the UK government paid for the World Service. It then handed over most of the cost to the BBC.
The Foreign Affairs Committee, which scrutinises the British government's foreign affairs spending, feared the cuts to the World Service in February would create a vacuum for impostors to fill.
Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry said: “The uplift is just a sticking plaster. It is not the investment that is needed. What is more, I am worried that the announced cuts to overseas development aid may make matters worse."
Uma Kamaran, a member of the committee, said the closure of BBC Radio Arabic was one of the "starkest examples of the dangers of this retreat".
“The closure of BBC Radio Arabic … resulted in the World Service’s former frequency being taken over by Russian state media – allowing the spread of disinformation and hostile propaganda, unchallenged and on an unparalleled scale," she said in February.
To counter the threat of disinformation in conflict zones, the BBC has set up emergency services for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine at short notice, as well as a 24-hour radio feed of existing Arabic and English content going out in Damascus and the coastal regions of Syria.
'Vital lifeline' for listeners overseas
Shows including the Global News Podcast, The Global Story and Infinite Monkey Cage are among the 1,000 hours of podcasts that will still be available to overseas listeners on the BBC website and app.
The BBC did not comment on which programmes would no longer be available to listeners overseas. There is speculation that radio involving music would be more difficult to stream with advertising overseas due to licensing issues.
Among the most popular programmes are the award-winning comedy show Elis James and John Robins, which was the BBC’s second most listened to programme for under-35s, and sports titles such as Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily and Match of the Day: Top 10, according to a quarterly publication by Rajar, which measures UK audience figures.
Podcasts that were acquired by the BBC, such as the series Tortoise Investigates, ranked in the top 10 podcasts for young people.
Expats told The National that they relied on BBC Sounds for “high quality” programmes and “unbiased” global news.
Nigel, a British listener in Turkey, was relieved to hear that Radio 4 and the World Service would still be available on the BBC website. He uses BBC Sounds on his phone to listen to both stations.
Speaking to The National as large-scale protests against the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor have gripped the country, he said: “Having access to those two radio programmes gives me access to global news that isn’t filtered. I don’t trust the news agenda in Turkey and it’s a good way to get unbiased news from around the world.”
Danielle, a listener in Dubai who loves to listen to the BBC programme Ghosts, feared she may no longer be able to access her favourite shows.
“I was really disappointed to find that BBC Sounds podcasts will be blocked here,” she said. "I listen to podcasts regularly and enjoy many BBC productions, which are always high quality. I would absolutely rather there be ads than not have access to the podcasts at all."
BBC presenter Kirsty Lang said the decision was “devastating for all our overseas listeners”.
“BBC Radio is a vital lifeline to so many overseas listeners. I have no idea why they’re cutting it or why they can’t introduce a subscription for people living outside the UK,” she said.
