BBC Radio Stations on SONOS as of 11-1-2025

Hi ​@southern gal 

Thanks for your post!

I’m sorry to hear of the problems you are having with playing BBC content on your Sonos system.

As I understand it, the BBC have recently further locked-down who can access BBC content, and from where.

So, the first and most important question is, are you located in the UK, or outside of it?

If you are inside the UK (Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, United Kingdom), you can add BBC Sounds to your Sonos system as a music service - BBC stations are not available on TuneIn (and therefore Sonos Radio too) inside the UK.

If you are outside the UK, I believe the only way to play BBC content on Sonos would be via the BBC Sounds app on another device, sent to Sonos via AirPlay, Bluetooth or Line-In. Although the page you linked-to was posted in 2019, I think it may have taken a while for the BBC to full lock these down, which would explain why you are only more recently unable to play (if you are outside of the UK).

I hope this helps.

I implore you to speak to the CEO about this. 

Yes I am not in the UK and there are millions of us who listen to the BBC Radio stations who are not UK Residents. 

The fact that they have eliminated BBC Sounds access to non UK listeners was a huge blow but they promised continued access on NON-BBC Platforms. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/recent-changes-to-bbc-sounds/tunein-changes
Yes this article is old.   ITS THE ONLY REFERENCE ON THEIR SITE. AND ITS NOT DATED as are none of their articles. 

Its not Sonos fault that the BBC is being so secretive but I would hope that as a MAJOR AUDIO SERViCE IN THE WORLD your management would be alarmed at this development. 

Why not work with the BBC and get the streams from the BBC NOT THRU TUNEIN? 

PLEASE ASK the CEO of SONOS to work with the BBC Radio management and provide access to the streams.

This is devastating for millions of listeners. 

BTW even UK Residents only have access to BBC Sounds for a MONTH if they are NOT currently residing in the UK or are on holiday.  The draconian restrictions placed by the BBC should be questioned and a solution worked out. 

Fine they can block the BBC Sounds app but the rest ? 

They allow Radio 4 and World News Service on the very poorly programmed BBC.COM website  

PLEASE PLEASE escalate this to the CEO or provide me with his email and I will contact him. 

For a MAJOR AUDIO SERVICE to be deprived of an entire country’s radio is alarming.  EVERY OTHER country in the world provide access to their stations.  

We must push back on this. 

I look forward to receiving a reply today with the CEO’s email address 

Hi ​@southern gal 

I don’t see how any of this has anything to do with, or can be influenced by, our CEO. It has nothing to do with him - the BBC have decided to restrict non-UK access to their services, and that is entirely up to them to do so if they wish. My assumption as to why they might do this is to reduce the music licencing fees they need to pay, but that really is a guess on my part.

You can email our CEO at ceo@sonos.com, but the reply you get will not be from him (though I understand he does read them).

I hope this helps.

​@southern gal 

Not really sure what you expect the CEO of Sonos to do? BBC programming is now available only to UK residents. it is not about which routes the content takes (e.g. finding another non-TuneIn route) - it is stopped, period. 

It is a massive blow, no doubt. But for now, and possibly forever, it is accessible only to those of us who pay the BBC licence fee (i.e. UK residents), as that is how the BBC is funded - its obligation is solely to UK residents. Enabling access globally adds cost without any corresponding returns. It also faces huge costs clearing content for international use, which it would have to do with no funding coming in from that. So this decision will be part of a broader cost rationalisation strategy.

I think they are missing a trick not setting up a global subscription service for people to access BBC content which I could see as a huge revenue stream and helping with the cost issues. But its charter (against which is it judged by the UK government) has no ‘entertainment’ obligation to international audiences other than BBC World Service and Radio 4, which people in information-starved countries can turn to for an alternative and more factual view. 

What the post meant about ‘non-BBC platforms’ not being affected is probably referring to other providers/channels who might have licensed the rights to certain BBC shows - they will still have the right to broadcast or stream it.

I’m also really annoyed by this. I didn’t think it was Sonos’s fault. TuneIn seem to have had their rights cancelled or the term completed. So shocking that the airwaves would just turn off like that. 
if there’s anything Sonos Radio can do about it on their service that would be amazing. 
I also can’t believe how shortsighted the BBC are from not offering a subscription service through the Sounds App. The new BBC app and subscription are terrible and doesn’t include any radio except WS and 4

Hi all, I’m equally GUTTED about this situation. I am US based and listen to BBC radio pretty much all day. I have found another streaming service that seems to support BBC radio, it’s ‘mytuner radio’ you can add it to your sonos services and it works. They also have an app to add to your phone. I can’t get the voice activation to work on my sonos system so i have to send it to a speaker maunually with the app. Maybe a sonos rep can help me with that… how do i ask the speaker to go to a certain service .. I tried ‘hey sonos, play BBC radio 2 on my tuner radio’ but that doesnt work..

thank you for the tip about MyTuner 🙌

Argh, I listen to BBC Radio 1 Extra everyday on my Sonos speakers, it’s been my number one source of new music. That for the tip about MyTuner, I hope it will continue to work. 

Can someone please explain (as though to a child) how to do the earlier in this thread mentioned workaround to this problem please. 

Add MyTuner radio to Sonos: https://support.sonos.com/en-us/services/mytunerradio

Agree with your comments - seems to me the best thing would be to address concerns with BBC directly, i think anyone that wants to enjoy BBC content would be more than happy to pay license fee to help cover the costs. 

Hi Corry P -- can you help with below question?

Hi all, I’m equally GUTTED about this situation. I am US based and listen to BBC radio pretty much all day. I have found another streaming service that seems to support BBC radio, it’s ‘mytuner radio’ you can add it to your sonos services and it works. They also have an app to add to your phone. I can’t get the voice activation to work on my sonos system so i have to send it to a speaker maunually with the app. Maybe a sonos rep can help me with that… how do i ask the speaker to go to a certain service .. I tried ‘hey sonos, play BBC radio 2 on my tuner radio’ but that doesnt work..

Its a bigger issue and unless you have followed from the very beginning there are things you have missed.   They said they would continue all stations on NON BBC Platforms  I specifically emailed about sonos and they replied yes.  

Then with no notice they discontinue feeds to Tunein .  Sonos uses the streams from Tunein. 

I dont see why Sonos can not work with the BBC to get the streams.   Even if only R4 (no music programs) and WNS , R4x would be great too 

If you followed the threads on Reddit in r/sonos and in r/british radio when the BBC SOUNDS app was outlawed for non UK residents earlier this year you would see that almost ALL of us wanted a non UK subscription.  I wrote several addresses i could find, I called, and no one ever replied. 
The BBC Management is not interested in offering subscriptions - they decided several years ago and are not changing  that (i did get some insider knowledge). 

The bone they threw was the bbc.com website and horrid app that only has R4 and WNS 

BUT they also said NON BBC PLATFORMS would get all stations.  And all stations continued to work on Sonos and Tunein.

Now 11-1   all gone. - no notice - nothing on their website about this. Nothing on Sonos or Tunein about this.  

It would be odd that neither Sonos nor Tunein would not have been notified - but perhaps they were not.  Tunein has not replied to a help ticket i opened with them on Saturday

a non dated article that has one date reference to August 2019 and TuneIN (none of the help articles are dated)

I am going to fight this as high as I can get.  If anyone wants to help great. 

Sonos plays what it is handed by the streamer, they have no ‘control’ over the content. Your views should be expressed with the BBC and whatever service you’re using. 

You’re essentially arguing with your TV manufacturer when the cable company stops carrying the channel you like. Not much they can do, and passing on your concerns won’t hold the same weight as if you, the paying individual (Sonos doesn’t pay for content) contact them.

Having worked on approval for copyrights for music in games, and becoming familiar with the oddities about international rights (none of the songs I was working on had them), you may be challenged, but I support your desires. I just think you’re applying your pressure in the incorrect arena in order to achieve the goal. I surely wish Sonos had more agency in this, but as I understand it, they don’t. 

Thank you!!!!!!!

Did you follow up with the programmers or appropriate programming personnel to see if there is an issue with TuneIn? 

I have received an reply to the support ticket I opened at TuneIn that they received a lot of tickets the past weekend and are investigating the issue. 

As of this morning in reply to my request for an update, they say they are still investigating. 

However a fellow user on another forum reported that BBC Radio stations were working on TuneIn today 

I checked on TuneIn earlier today with one station R4 and it worked on the TuneIn app. 

I have just tested on Sonos and with both Sonos Radio and TuneIn services - BBC R4 and R3 and R4x are working again in the mobile app and the web app. I have not tested the other BBC stations

---------

I am curious if this ticket was escalated to anyone in programming to follow up on this issue. 

And request that there be an explanation of what happened - was it TuneIn or something else. 

Thank you for your attention to this. 

Good news all, its seems BBC Radio stream is restored on Tunein. I’m not at home to check with Sonos system, maybe someone can confirm??

As a UK resident who pays his BBC licence fee every year, i think this is only fair.

The bbc will eventually have to move to a subscription model as less and less people refuse to pay the licence fee. 

Whats more annoying is that google audio devices won’t play BBC via voice, have to cast from bbc sounds and a phone