Industry welcomes support for radio in new Media Bill

The radio industry has welcomed the publication of the draft Media Bill, introduced in parliament on Wednesday 29th March, which breaks new ground by setting out for the first time a regime that will guarantee access to UK radio services online and on smart speakers.

There has been a surge in online radio listening in recent years and now around a quarter (24%) of all live radio listening now takes place online, with over half of that listening on smart speakers. Yet until now there have been no ground rules in place to support the future availability of radio online for audiences. The draft Bill addresses the risks facing radio and audio as tech platforms, and their voice assistants, start to assume the role of gatekeepers to all UK radio content, both from commercial radio and the BBC.

The Media Bill recognises the importance of the role of radio in the UK media landscape, including the significant creative and public value delivered by broadcasters – with commercial radio alone reaching over 38 million listeners each week. Clauses for radio in the Media Bill have also received strong cross-party parliamentary support. Commenting on the publication of the draft Media Bill, Lucy Frazer MP, Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, highlighted how technology has revolutionised the way that people enjoy radio and that the Bill will give broadcasters and the UK’s legendary radio industry the tools to keep doing what they do best.

The Media Bill also includes clauses that tie up final elements of commercial radio deregulation, which were announced originally by Government in 2017. These will update requirements around outdated music formats, local production rules and local news on digital platforms.

Radiocentre CEO, Matt Payton, said:

“With more radio listening than ever now taking place online and on smart speakers, it’s only sensible that the Government introduces safeguards for the future that will guarantee consumer choice and support the public value provided by UK radio services. The commercial radio sector welcomes this important recognition of the vital role that it plays in the media landscape. We’re also pleased to see legislation that will finalise commercial radio deregulation, enabling stations to focus on producing great content that listeners want to hear.”