The UK commercial radio sector has hit out at plans by the BBC to launch four new digital radio stations focused on specific genres or decades. The proposed new stations, says trade group Radiocentre, simply imitate what commercial radio stations are already doing, and the BBC is simply "attempting to compete directly with commercial radio stations, interfering with the market and failing to provide distinct public value".
Media regulator OfCom, it adds, "should reject these proposed market interventions that would just offer duplicate services and not deliver against the BBC’s obligations, at the same time as harming commercial innovation".
Last time the BBC launched a genre spin-off station, Radiocentre actually took OfCom to court for not blocking it. It remains to be seen how the regulator responds this time.
The BBC announced plans yesterday to launch four new radio stations on the DAB+ digital network and within its BBC Sounds app, each one a spin off from one of its existing radio brands. The new services, it says, will "build on the BBC’s commitment to new music and British artists" and "delve deeper into specific genres and periods of music with context, curation and storytelling done in a way only the BBC can do".
There will be a new Radio 1 spin off focused on music from the 2000s and 2010s; a Radio 2 spin off playing pop music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; and a Radio 3 spin off that will provide a "classical music experience that helps listeners unwind, destress and escape the pressures of daily life". The existing Radio 1 Dance station, currently only available within BBC Sounds, will also be expanded and launched on DAB+.
The new stations will combine some newly commissioned shows with relevant programmes that are currently only available on-demand within BBC Sounds and material from the BBC archives. They are, says the Beeb, "a cost-effective way to reach audiences on DAB+ where listening is growing as people move over from FM".
"The plans have been developed to ensure the BBC serves all its audiences and better meets the expectations of listeners", it adds. "They will give more choice especially to those who currently are underserved by the BBC, and whom OfCom have challenged the BBC to do more for".
But, says Radiocentre, the audiences being targeted by these new services are already well catered for by commercial radio stations, many of which have launched genre or decade specific spin-offs in recent years. Some commercial radio groups are also using those spin-offs in order to build subscription products within their apps in a bid to diversify their revenues beyond the advertising sales of their FM and DAB services.
BBC bosses - the trade groups adds - "don’t seem to acknowledge that this is not what the BBC, with its taxpayer funding, are supposed to be doing. They are required to provide services that are truly additional, distinct and incremental to what is already provided by commercial operators, not duplicate it".
Radiocentre was also critical when Radio 1 Dance launched on BBC Sounds in 2020, with its supporters in Parliament - including Andy Carter MP - questioning whether OfCom was properly scrutinising the evolution of the BBC's audio app, and how it was competing with commercial radio and streaming services.
That criticism led to legal action, with Radiocentre arguing in court that OfCom did not go through the proper process when assessing the plans to launch the dance music service.
Ultimately, it all came down to whether the launch of Radio 1 Dance constituted a “material change” to the BBC’s output. OfCom concluded that it did not and therefore a full ‘public interest test’ was not necessary to approve the new service. A judge ultimately concluded that OfCom had properly applied the rules.
A public interest test will be required this time, as these are new DAB+ services. Radiocentre will be following the process OfCom now goes through very closely, while also piling on the pressure for the regulator to block the plan.