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Introducing the first version of BBC Sounds

Dan Taylor-Watt

Director of Product, BBC iPlayer & BBC Sounds

Over the past year or so we’ve talked a lot about how we need to reinvent the BBC for a new generation.

Today we’re releasing the first version of a brand new audio app from the BBC. Available to download for free from Apple, Google and Amazon app stores from later today, BBC Sounds brings together our live and on demand radio, music and podcasts into a single personalised app.

Every user’s experience of BBC Sounds will be unique as it’s designed to learn from your listening habits, providing one-tap access to the latest episodes of your favourite BBC podcasts and radio shows and introducing you to new audio you wouldn’t otherwise have discovered from the 80,000 (yes, really) hours available.

Here’s a quick summary of what you can do:

  • Scroll the dial (a much-loved feature of the BBC iPlayer Radio app) to listen live to any of the BBC’s 18 national stations (and online-only station CBeebies Radio) or tap All Stations to listen to any of the BBC’s 40 local stations
  • Pick up where you left off with ‘Continue Listening’ which surfaces part-listened podcasts and radio shows and next episodes for you
  • Enjoy hand-picked collections of podcasts and on demand music shows to match your mood, from Funny Chat to Upgrade Your Life, from Live Sessions to Dance Mixes
  • Discover new audio via the ‘Recommended for you’ section, with a dozen great on demand listens picked just for you and constantly refreshed based on your listening
  • Browse by category: from Crime to Science & Technology, from Classical to Hip Hop
  • Add any individual episode or clip to ‘My List’ to listen to later
  • Subscribe to any podcast or programme and get a personalised feed of the latest episodes in ‘My Sounds’

This is very much a first release - we wanted to get it out as early as possible to start getting feedback to help develop the app. There’s a bunch of additional features we’re already busy working on (including downloads, to enable offline listening), and we’ll have lots more to add later in the year, but we’d love to hear how you’d like to see the app develop. Do leave a comment below or feedback via this survey.

And if you’d really like to get involved, why not come and join us? We’re hiring...

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