THE BBC has confirmed it will block international access to its BBC Sounds platform in 2025, ending online availability of its radio stations, including BBC Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, for listeners in the Republic of Ireland.
The move is part of a broader strategy to make BBC Sounds exclusive to UK audiences, like the geo-blocking already applied to BBC iPlayer.
Under the new model, international users will instead be directed to a new audio section on their website, where access is limited to selected podcasts and just two radio stations: BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.
This new restriction will most immediately affect those counties in Ireland along the border; Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.
“This change ensures BBC Sounds is only available to those who pay the licence fee,” a BBC spokesperson said, adding that it allows the organisation to deliver “better value for UK audiences”.
For listeners in Ireland, particularly those near the border who rely on Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, the change is seen as more than just technical.
Independent media analyst Jim Waterson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme that while the move makes commercial sense, “a lot of people in London forget about the small matter of the border on the island of Ireland.”
He said many would consider it reasonable to ask overseas listeners to pay or view advertising, “but there are wider cultural consequences here that aren’t being addressed.”
Former BBC journalist Shane Harrison said the decision may violate the spirit of cross-border cooperation outlined in the Good Friday Agreement and a 2010 memorandum of understanding between the UK and Irish governments.
The memorandum recognised public broadcasting’s role in “promoting cultural diversity, educational programming, and objective public information” across the island of Ireland.
Professor Kevin Curran, a cybersecurity expert at Ulster University, added that while geo-blocking is technically simple, the BBC has chosen not to make exceptions. “If the BBC wanted to allow access in Ireland, it could be done quite easily; it could probably be done in a morning,” he said.
The BBC named “rights limitations” as a factor in the decision. Much of its content involves third-party agreements that restrict international use.
The change also allows its commercial arm, BBC Studios, to make money from international content through advertising on their website, revenue that flows back into the public service broadcaster.
The Republic of Ireland’s Department of Culture said the move is “entirely a matter for the BBC”, while Britain’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that the broadcaster is editorially and operationally independent.
While BBC Radio content will remain available via platforms like Spotify, the full experience of BBC Sounds, including live local radio, will no longer be accessible online outside Britain and Northern Ireland.
For many in Ireland, the decision is a step back from decades of cross-border media access. As one listener toldFeedback on BBC Radio 4, “We don’t just listen to Radio Ulster out of habit; it’s part of our identity.”
The Irish Post has contacted the BBC for comment and has yet to hear back.