Why must I sign in to a BBC account to listen online?

Without signing in, you‘ll be unable to play programmes or choose to benefit from personalised features such as bookmarking programmes for later, getting personalised programme recommendations based on what you’ve listened to, and picking up where you left off across your devices.


Some podcasts can be downloaded from the BBC Sounds website without signing in. For information on how to do this, have a look here: How do I download a podcast episode from the website? 


We need to understand more on what people are listening to via radio online to ensure we are providing something for everyone. Up until now, we could only tell how many people used our services, but having more data like age, gender and location will ensure we’re better serving all our audience.

A TV licence is not required to listen to BBC Sounds, or to create a BBC account. The law applies to watching and downloading TV programmes, including via BBC iPlayer.

Want to know more?

You won't have to sign in every time you visit BBC Sounds as you should stay signed in for two years on each web browser or app. If you're having trouble staying signed in, check our Why do I have to sign in every time? FAQ for advice. 
 


For help signing in or creating an account, visit the BBC account help site.