Actually, about 80% of my day is listening to BBC output - normally R6M in the morning, while walking the dog and working, then listen again to various shows. Not quite sure how I'll manage without it, depressingly!
Again, unless I've misread the BBC's website then all the radio stations are still going to be available, just not via Sounds:
In particular see this section:
Where can I listen to live BBC stations outside the UK?BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service English are available on bbc.com and the BBC app. Please use the links below for live listening access to the BBC's other radio stations from across the UK, including BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, and Radio 3, 6Music, 1Xtra and Asian Network, Radio 4Xtra and 5Live, all the BBC's stations from the UK nations and every local radio station in England.
And my question remains, if we will still have access to the radio stations then what is the purpose of taking away Sounds?
Actually, if you click on one of the links it takes you to the Sounds page for that station which has a banner saying they are removing access to Sounds and a link which takes you to the page with the links to the Sounds pages.
Yes, it is very clear what will happen on the 22nd July.
I don't think any funding for the world service come out of TV licenses does it?
I think it's been about 50:50 for the last decade... half direct gov funding, half from general BBC funds (which are a mix of licence fee, advertising, selling shows to other broadcasters, franchising show names for other media, etc, as discussed above).
The main reason iPlayer is not available globally is that the BBC has only commissioned UK rights on much of it's TV content.
This is an issue that both the BBC and Channel 4 are facing - in that the market for TV is becoming global, but also the programmes appealing to global audiences correspondingly have global budgets from their global streaming subscriptions. Once upon a time a key difference between the BBC and C4 was all the BBC's content was produced in house and owned by the BBC where as Channel 4's remit when it was created was that it would commission television exclusively from independent producers - so C4 doesn't actually 'make' any TV (apart from its idents and trailers) - everything they commission is made by (and the rights are owned by) indpendent production companies.
So C4 can't sell programs to Netflix for instance, but the production company that made the show can. Similarly C4 can't franchise out programs to other territories but again the companies that make the programmes can.
The BBC by comparison could have done, at least historically - but over the years there has also been a push for the BBC to also outsource production to independents, so in fact theres also a lot of their more recent output that they don't own, so you get things like a hit BBC show like Bake-Off just wandering off to a different channel.
C4 is now pushing to be able to bring some of its program making in-house, as a way for the channel to survive by being able to access that international rights income - but is likely to meet a lot of resistance.
Bump!
Anyone know of any inventive ways to circumvent geo-blocking?
I've tried my VPN connected to a UK server.
I've tried faking my phone's GPS to London
I've tried changing my phone timezone to BST
I'm signed into Sounds with an Google email address with a UK address.
None of these worked 🙁
Timezone differences means I won't be able to listen to RadMac live and it's obviously not available on catch-up.
I'm gutted!
Sat at the bottom of the Mont Ventoux atm ready for tomorrow's TDF shenanigans but as soon as I get home to Cataluña, I'll be trying various options to get 6 music. My money's on our TVIP gizmo that allows us to watch BBC and other free to air channels, it has a radio function but R6 may not be one of them. I'll report back later in the week. Worrying that VPN doesn't work.
BBC Sounds pushed out an update (on Android) last week; I've a feeling that latest update splits into UK and non-UK versions, with the latter blocking people from listening regardless of where they appear to be.
Hypothetically, removing the app and restarting the phone; logging into a VPN then downloading the app and signing into it may help. GPS shouldn't make a difference as the app won't have permission to use that information.
The app is goosed but the URL is still working:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_6music
On the PC it's the same as it was before. On the phone you have to set your browser to 'Desktop mode' so it will keep playing after you switch off the phone screen.
Obviously this is only for live radio. If you want to listen to previously broadcast stuff then I guess you're looking at VPNs and whatnot.
Which VPN are you using?
Proton VPN works fine for me. Was listening on my phone at work yesterday, then when I got in the car I got a message saying Android Auto might not work with VPN, and then, the music played. Very happy as 6 is my default station. But also can't miss listening to Tongy when I'm cooking my brekkie on a Sat morning. Or the Essential Mix.
I have not changed any settings at all, other than installing the VPN. Initially it took a while to buffer as I was on the work wifi. Took 10 mins or so, but it's a super slow connection. Zero issues at home.
For me personally, I make my kids listen to 6music
Careful, there are probably laws about child cruelty where you live.
Geographicaly limiting is just dumb. Lots of us exiles have a vote yet any attempt to get information about the UK comes from far-right owned news sources. On a personal level I threw a hissy fit at the Beeb in the run up to Gulf war II and don't use it, but cutting off voting British citizens does seem dumb, perhaps to be expected from a dumb organisation run by ****s under a royal charter from bigger ****s.
Sometimes the swear filter is welcome.
What's interesting is the BBC radio ads/ idents at the moment keep referring to it as "the voice of the UK". There's lots of questions you could ask about that ("surely you mean '...of Nigel Farage'?" for one), but it also sounds like the perfect reasoning as to why BBC Radio should be available outside the UK...
Proton VPN works fine for me.
Dumb question, but Proton VPN works on mobile data then, not just on WiFi?
Absolutely fine. The work wifi is pitifully slow. I'm sat here at my desk right now, streaming via my phone / VPN and using 5g cellular.
"A VPN works on mobile data just as well as it does on a WiFi network. However, while using a VPN on your mobile device improves your security and privacy, it can also increase your data consumption due to the encryption involved."
Weirdly - would not connect at all this arvo. I changed the VPN I was connected to, to "fastest" which is an Aussie server and it's playing fine, connected very quickly. I don't really understand, but I don't really care as long as it's working. A few mates have not been able to connect so it seems very hit and miss. I've purposely not updated the BBC Sounds app, fear of a new app and tweaked location settings. No doubt tho I'll forget and update a stack of apps.....
@BruceWee - thanks, that URL worked once I connected to my VPN AND uninstalled the BBC Sounds app
👍 I'm much less pissed off today 😉😄
On my phone (Google Pixel 6a plus Brave browser)...
On the phone you have to set your browser to 'Desktop mode' so it will keep playing after you switch off the phone screen.
...this step isn't necessary so even better
That's interesting. I can listen to all the stations without a VPN. And I haven't gotten round to uninstalling the Sounds app yet.
I can't get to any other links though on the page though.
Still working at the moment in New Zealand, just listened to the football on radio 5 . Had to use Nord VPN but you always had to for sports commentary.
I'm hoping that with a VPN the app will continue working . Due to the time difference I tend to listen to catch up shows on 6 music and would really miss it .
Home in Cataluña now, our Roberts Internet Radio works exactly as before as does Android Car Play in the car which is odd as it doesn't work just streaming through the phone
Shameless bump so as not to loose the momentum of this shit show. In reality I've not got a lot to complain about as I've now tried listening to stations other than Radio 4 or World Service on a variety of the radio types I own and it mainly remains unaltered. I've got a Sonos system which connects fine and is controlled from my phone, a Roberts Internet radio which plays all the stations it did before and oddly my Android Auto unit in the car connects via my phone and allows catch-up, podcasts etc etc. The main issue is that if I try to listen to 6music etc on my phone, the sounds app doesn't work and the replacement bus service app only allows R4 and World Service. The slightly dodgy garfnet link earlier on this thread works but given my numptiness, I can't find a way to create a shortcut on my android phone to access it quickly. The brucewee one just loops back to Sounds and the doom message Anyone able to help with words of one syllable would be gratefully received. Ta
I dunno what's happening. It's a schmozzle. Listening on my phone right now, in Australia, with no VPN. I guaran-bloody-tee that the moment I cancel my VPN I won't be able to connect (an no, the VPN isn't running in the background).
Hmm..
Here's a link to RadMac shows:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0100rp6/episodes/player
I use Brave browser on an Android phone (Pixel 6a) and clicking the highlighted icon below let's you bookmark the relevant page, so go to the above link and use the bookmark function of your browser.
Then when you want to listen, get the web address from your bookmarks
@pistonbrole
You can also add a short cut on phones screen:
So it looks as though I cannot get the full range of stations on my mobile without a VPN. I've therefore been looking to buy another internet radio like my Roberts Stream 94i. Seems an exact replica isn't available on Amazon.es (sorry but few alternatives) but I'm being bombarded with ads for so called internet radios which seem to be just a Bluetooth speaker as they run from your phone's internet connection which is clearly no good to me. Any ideas on a stand alone radio costing up to €100 that is available via Amazon? I'm still completely perplexed how my phone enabled android car play device allows me to listen to the full BBC range whilst in the car.
Hang on, Marc Radcliffe said there was a new website available for overseas users on his program yesterday.
Something like bbc.com/audio I'll try to confirm.
The BBC audio website is their half arsed attempt to placate the listeners who only use R4 and World Service and are prepared to dig around for certain podcasts. There's no live sport or music, probably due to rights restrictions. I'm resigned to ditching the phone apart from Andriod Auto which I cannot fathom how that is unaltered. So the question is, are there any decent stand alone internet radios available that operate like my trusty Roberts Stream but not as spendy?
Hang on, Marc Radcliffe said there was a new website available for overseas users on his program yesterday
IIRC, he implied it was being extended and mentioned some date in the future (can't remember the date).
However, he also mentioned that it would be live streams only - which I assume means no catch-up...
Just noticed this the other day. Don't use BBC app that much.
Working with Nordvpn. Have a link with a discount code if anyone needs it .
