Chromatic Producer I

Answered

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

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
November 2, 2025
20 replies
1042 views

As of Saturday 11-1-25 no BBC Radio station works on Sonos

Not in Sonos Radio

Not in Tunein on Sonos

A commenter to a post of mine on Reddit referenced an article that has NO DATE on the BBC Souns website
Changes to BBC Radio on TuneIn
However Sonos Radio and TuneIn on Sonos is not mentioned

Only Alexa + Sonos

In the article about limiting BBC Sounds to UK Residents there is this statement

In addition, listening to BBC audio programming on non-BBC platforms will not be affected by this change.

=============

WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE a SONOS EMPLOYEE TO RESEARCH THIS AND REPLY AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON.

=============

I just cannot believe this…

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

Best answer by Corry P

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.

Corry PAnswer

Sonos Staff

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.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

S

southern galAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

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

Southern Gal

Corry P

Sonos Staff

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.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

R

Rhonny

Prodigy III

@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.

M

MTBRAM

Lyricist I

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

I

ivesinca

Contributor I

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..

M

MTBRAM

Lyricist I

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 🙌

P

poppap

Lyricist I

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.

K

Karikari

Contributor I

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