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BBC Radio on Sonos

  • 13 December 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 392 views

I’m in Sweden. Currently I can hear BBC Radio on Tune-in, but the broadcast is interrupted now and again with a warning that broadcasting will end in 2023. I’ve been in touch with the BBC who tell me the following:

The BBC uses several streaming technologies to deliver BBC Sounds. One of these is called Shoutcast which the BBC will stop using by mid-2023. We recommend that if you hear the message advising of the change, to follow the advice and get in contact with the manufacturer. It might be possible for the device to be updated to use another of stream technologies that we will continue to use (HLS and DASH).

Shoutcast is an older streaming technology and many connected radio devices in the UK no longer use it for BBC streams. Ending support for Shoutcast will enable us to focus on HLS and DASH - the two most popular technologies currently used. As well as delivering better value, it will allow us to understand more on how our content is consumed. This forms part of our strategy for BBC Sounds and is important to help us improve the services we offer to our listeners.

We informed manufacturers and other service providers of this change in May 2022 and we continue to work with them. If at some point in the near future you no longer hear the in-stream messaging, then your device has been updated by the manufacturer and/or the service aggregator they use to manage radio streams on the device.

If you are listening outside of the UK, the BBC live radio streams (in HLS / DASH format) will continue to be made available outside the UK for the foreseeable future.

As I say, I’m not using Shoutcast, but Tune-In, and I’m still hearing these warning messages. Can someone tell me which Sonos Radio streaming service uses “HLS and DASH“ and will allow me to continue hearing  BBC Radio? Or should I expect that Tune-In will update its system and continue to stream BBC Radio?

Thanks!

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 14 December 2022, 00:52

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2 replies

Perhaps see the thread here and replies from Sonos Staff on this topic:

 

Thanks for the link Ken. That puts my mind at rest!

John