Broadband Internet Radio

This page provides links to broadband Internet radio streams for the bigger UK radio stations that are at a higher level of audio quality than they're at on DAB. The reason they're at a higher level of audio quality is due to them using more modern audio formats -- such as WMA, AAC and Ogg Vorbis -- than the outdated MP2 format that's used on DAB. Furthermore, the audio quality of Internet radio streams is likely to get better over time due to Internet bandwidth reducing in price, which allows the broadcasters to use higher bit rate levels. For more general information about Internet radio see this page.

UK broadband Internet radio streams

128 kbps streams

These streams are available to anyone with a broadband connection.

Multicast radio streams

Internet multicast is a very efficient way to distribute live radio and TV streams compared to the way streams have been distributed up to now using 'unicast', where each listener or viewer is delivered with their own individual stream. With multicast, only one stream is sent to each ISP, and the ISP then forwards the streams to their customers. Therefore, instead of having to send tens of thousands of streams in parallel (the bandwidth required for unicast = number of users  x  stream bandwidth), the broadcasters only have to send one stream per channel to each ISP, therefore making an enormous percentage saving in the bandwidth required, and this allows the broadcasters to provide higher bit rate levels, so the audio quality is higher. Multicast is also expected to be used to deliver HDTV streams within the next 2-4 years. HDTV streams will typically use bit rate levels of about 10 Mbps, which is about 80-times higher than the 128 kbps bit rate levels being used at present, so the bit rates of the radio station streams should increase a lot in future as well.

The stations available on the multicast service and the bit rates and audio codecs they're using are as follows:

NOTE: You need to be on an ISP that supports multicast in order to be able to receive these streams -- see below for the list of ISPs that currently support multicast.

ISPs that support multicast

If your ISP is not on the list but you want them to support multicast, please contact them and ask them to support it.

• JANET
• InterVivo
• clara.net
• NetServices Plc
• Zen Internet
• KeConnect Internet
• C & W (but not Bulldog)
• Mistral Internet
• Hotchilli Internet
• fast.co.uk
• Entanet International Ltd
• Bogons
• IDNet

Virgin Media, which is the UK's second biggest ISP, which accounts for about 25% of all broadband users, is planning to support multicast by late 2008 when it launches its 50 Mbps broadband package.

TV channels on multicast trial

The following TV channels have been on the BBC's multicast trial, but the TV channel streams haven't launched yet whereas the multicast radio streams have launched.