Ofcom says no to Radio 2 spin-off and expanded Radio 5 Sports Extra

Ofcom has decided that the BBC should not go ahead with plans for a Radio 2 spin-off and an expanded Radio 5 Sports Extra.

The provisional conclusions of assessments of the BBC’s plans to launch four new DAB+ stations and extend the hours of Radio 5 Sports Extra have been published today by the regulator.

For the BBC’s planned Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems and Radio 3 Unwind stations, Ofcom found these stations would have a limited impact on fair and effective competition, which would be justified by the public value of the proposals, so these plans can proceed.

For the Radio 2 spin-off, it said that it would offer some public value, but would likely have an impact on commercial stations, particularly Boom Radio and could also deter entry and reduce investment incentives for commercial stations, especially those that intend to serve audiences that the BBC has moved away from.

Ofcom said for the plan to extend the broadcasting hours of Radio 5 Sports Extra, the BBC had not presented sufficient evidence that the changes would especially appeal to its target younger and working-class audiences, nor had it committed to give significant exposure to sports that currently receive less radio coverage.

It could also have a significant impact on commercial sports radio, specifically the talkSPORT Network.

Ofcom is inviting feedback on its provisional conclusions by 14th May 2025, and will issue its final decisions by 4th July 2025.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Ofcom is set to approve Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind. The extensions with their brilliant programming have already proved popular on BBC Sounds and will now reach even more listeners on DAB.

“However, we are disappointed that in a thriving audio market, we are not able to launch the new Radio 2 extension or expand the content offer on Radio 5 Sports Extra. They would have provided audiences with a unique BBC take on the music, stories and archive performances from 1950s, 60s and 70s, and helped more listeners across the UK discover our diverse sports podcasts.

“We believe our plans for Radio 2 and Radio 5 Sports Extra were distinctive and formed an important way for us to reach those audiences who currently get less from the BBC. We significantly redeveloped the proposals following an extensive consultation with the industry, so that they would complement the offer across the market for the benefit of listeners.”