Updated: 13 August 2025
List of strictly necessary cookies
This list will be constantly updated, therefore we recommend checking it from time to time.
| Cookie name | What it's for |
|---|---|
| _pc_SC | Piano Custom Cookie: enables the BBC to observe browsing behaviour for users suppressed from promotional messaging for testing purposes. The BBC uses this data to build reports on site usage. |
| _pk_cvar | Used by the Matamo (formerly Piwik) 3rd party statistics tool. Provides enhanced metrics on top of Transversal's native statistics tracking. |
| _pk_id | Used by the Matamo (formerly Piwik) 3rd party statistics tool. Provides enhanced metrics on top of Transversal's native statistics tracking. |
| _pk_ref | Used by the Matamo (formerly Piwik) 3rd party statistics tool. Provides enhanced metrics on top of Transversal's native statistics tracking. |
| _pk_ses | Used by the Matamo (formerly Piwik) 3rd party statistics tool. Provides enhanced metrics on top of Transversal's native statistics tracking. |
| _SUPERFLY_lockout, _cbt | Chartbeat is used to understand engagement with pages by tracking how far a user gets on a page and where they're clicking. |
| _xbc | Piano Experience Cookie: enables the BBC to observe your individual browsing over time as you visit bbc.com and interact with different promotional experiences. The BBC uses this data to build reports on site usage. |
| &UserMode | Contains information about the current site from which you access the DotMetrics research network |
| 100 Kantar for BARB | Shares anonymous data about use of online and mobile media players with Barb Audiences Limited to understand how many people watch online, and how much they watch. Read Barb's Privacy Notice. |
| account_seq_id | Session cookie used to track how users reach the sign-in journey, which helps us analyse and optimise the journey to improve user experience when signing in/registering |
| AM_REDIRECT_BACK_SERVER_URL | Provides a redirection URL during sign in and registration events. |
| AMAuthCookie | Temporary cookie used to manage sign in. |
| amlbcookie | Server side management of sign in. |
| announcement | In BBC Sounds, a cookie that ensures you only see announcements in the Radioplayer web console once per session. |
| atidvisitor / atuserid / idrxvr | The BBC’s analytics system uses cookies to gather information regarding visitor activity on the BBC's websites and other BBC online services. The data gathered is sent to AT Internet, the BBC's analytics partner, for analysis and reporting. The BBC uses this information to help improve the services it provides to its users. |
| aws-waf-token | This cookie is used to protect BBC endpoints and users against Account Enumeration and Credential Stuffing attacks |
| AWSALB/AWSELB | Manages web traffic and balances traffic load. |
| BBC-Latest-Blogs | Records the ID of the latest BBC Blog accessed. |
| BBCCOMMENTSMODULESESSID | Reports back error messages in posting comments. |
| ckns_acad-gateway | Academy page language setting. |
| ckns_atkn_pa | Indicates which Account is signed in, even if an associated Children’s Profile is currently active. |
| ckns_bbccom_beta | To present the correct version of the site. |
| ckns_bbcTvVod | Manages the Banner asking users to confirm that they have a TV Licence to be able to watch BBC programmes in iPlayer. The Cookie is set to display TV Licence advisory notice every every 3 months. |
| ckns_echo_device_id | Used to synchronise the analytics device ID between the native and web layers of iOS/Android apps, e.g. BBC Sport |
| ckns_eds | Suppresses surveys already seen. |
| ckns_explicit | Stores whether or not a browser has explicitly actioned the cookie banner. |
| ckns_id-session-redirects | Counts redirects in the sign in flows so that the BBC can degrade gracefully during instances of infinite redirects. |
| ckns_idtkn / ckns_atkn / ckns_id / ckns_pp_id | Indicates that a user is signed in. |
| ckns_iplayer_activity | Indicates a user has recently interacted with iPlayer website. |
| ckns_iplayer_experiments | Used for iPlayer improvement experiments to give a user the correct variation of a test where personalisation is enabled in BBC Account. |
| ckns_IVOTE_HISTORY | Stores voting history per user. |
| ckns_jwt | Indicates the state of the sign in session. |
| ckns_mvt | Identifies visitors included in website optimisation tests to understand if the website is operationally efficient and delivering the right customer experience. |
| ckns_nav_promofail | Counts how often the footer "promo" cards fail to load, so we can tell browsers to stop further attempts to loads. |
| ckns_nonce | Helps to keep BBC accounts secure while signed in. |
| ckns_orb_fig_cache | Stores if the browser visiting the page is in the UK, EU & the device type they use when they visit (Mobile, Tablet or Desktop). Used by BBC products to load specific services such as cookie compliance messaging and to optimise the page loading to reduce data usage and page loading times. |
| ckns_orb_nofig | Remembers any failures on pages using our older, deprecated global navigation (ORB). |
| ckns_orb_nopromo | Counts how often the footer "promo" cards fail to load, so we can tell browsers to stop further attempts to loads. |
| ckns_otsi_enabled | Indicates we already have an authenticated user that can be signed in without the user having to re-enter their credentials. |
| ckns_pgAgeConfirm | Stores parental guidance confirmation that you're over 16. |
| ckns_pgPIN | Stores Parental Guidance PIN number. |
| ckns_pgUnlocked | Stores Parental Guidance Lock state. |
| ckns_policy | Stores current user's cookies settings. |
| ckns_policy_exp | Cookie storing date and time the user saw the BBC cookie banner, allows us in the future to redisplay cookie banner for compliance reasons, with new wording or updates to browsers who only viewed the banner before the new wording date. |
| ckns_privacy | Stores whether or not a browser has been displayed the privacy policy banner. |
| ckns_profile | Indicates that the Children’s Profile is currently active, rather than the signed in Parent Account. |
| ckns_realm | Tracks the area of the BBC website a user is signed in to. |
| ckns_registration | Contains a token that registers the user with Piano subscription services |
| ckns_rtkn | Refresh token (refresh expired access and identity tokens). |
| ckns_sa_labels_persist | Persists statistics tracking when users move between different BBC websites. |
| ckns_session | Indicates that a user has signed in recently. Provides additional security for accessing sensitive information in the BBC account settings. |
| ckns_settings-nonce | Stores a unique identifier for the signed in session. |
| ckns_sounds_experiments | Used for Sounds improvement experiments to give a user the correct variation of a test where personalisation is enabled in BBC Account. |
| ckns_sscid | Analytics device ID for BBC Affiliates (World Service, GNL). |
| ckns_stateless | Controls user journey based on web session type, i.e. stateless or stateful. |
| ckns_sylphid | This cookie value can be disabled by turning off personalisation, it stores the hashed user ID to track signed in activity. |
| ckns_taster_csrf_token | Ensures that feedback about pilots on Taster is only submitted from legitimate BBC websites. |
| ckns_taster_dsc | Remembers how many times Taster disclaimer banner has previously been shown and if the user has explicitly dismissed it. |
| ckns_taster_rate_id | Stores audience members ratings to pilots on Taster, and answers to feedback questions. |
| ckns_telescope/ckns_telescope_(\d+) | Stores voting history per user. |
| ckns_usip | Manages sign-in prompting logic in News and Sport. |
| ckps_bbcLiveSignInDismissableCount | Stores the number of times a user has dismissed the mandatory sign in banner. |
| ckps_bbcLiveSignInDismissableCountMet | Displays mandatory sign in banner. |
| ckps_bbcTv | Determines if a user has accepted the tv license banner and if they have, we don’t display the banner again. |
| ckps_sounds_stations | Stores the last two live radio stations you’ve listened to, in order to personalise the homepage. |
| ckps_tap_implicit | Stores content consumption information for non-signed in users, and information on promotional banners seen for BBC services on TVs. |
| ckps_tap_users | Stores credentials information for signed in users on BBC services on TVs. |
| DM_SitId | Site ID Cookie. Indicates which site or what site category is in question. |
| DotMetrics.DeviceKey | Device key cookie. This cookie is an identifier of the device as seen by the system. Its purpose is to store information about the device to allow measurement of website traffic. |
| DotMetrics.DomainCookie | Ensures that user tracking remains confined within the respective domain |
| DotMetrics.SessionCookieTemp | Session Temp Internet Cookie. This cookie collects information about a general site visit to the tagged site. |
| DotMetrics.SessionCookieTempTimed | Session Temp Timed Cookie. This cookie collects information about the current tagged site that you have accessed. |
| DotMetrics.UniqueUserIdentityCookie | Unique User Identity Cookie. Collects information about the current user (your unique ID, creation time, current tracking mode and version). |
| ecos.dt | Stores information about Online Quality Survey. |
| guid | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console that sets an identifier for each unique browser to allow aggregated analysis. |
| identitytoken | Indicates that a user is signed in. |
| identitytoken (Transversal) | Remembers the visitor between sessions. Mainly for logging statistics. If not present, could not track repeat visits. |
| interstitial | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console to ensure you only see any radio station-provided advertising once per session. |
| lastplayed | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console to remember the last station you listened to. |
| listeninghistory | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console to remember the stations you've listened to, for your Recents list. |
| low6Token | Maintains continuity within the Champions League Squares game. |
| metafaq SessionID | Maintains a visitor's session. Mainly for logging statistics. If not present, could not track a user journey. |
| nightfallRefreshToken | Stores a game token for the Nightfall game, so a user's progress can be attributed to them. |
| nightfallSessionToken | Stores a game token that allows Nightfall game session tokens to be renewed. Needed to authenticate a user so their game progress can be attributed to them. |
| optimizelyEndUserId | Identifies visitors included in website optimisation tests to help improve the customer experience. |
| pa_privacy / _pcid / _pctx | The BBC's analytics system uses cookies to gather information regarding visitor activity on the BBC's websites and other BBC online services. The data gathered is sent to Piano, the BBC's analytics partner, for analysis and reporting. The BBC uses this information to help improve the services it provides to its users. |
| policy | If you choose to opt-out of 'functional' or 'performance' cookies, the value stored in this cookie will ensure we respect that desire. |
| preferences | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console to remember whether you've seen certain one-time messages. |
| presets | In BBC Sounds, a cookie in the Radioplayer web console to remember radio stations you've added to your My Stations (favourites). |
| primed | In BBC Sounds, a cookie that allows the Radioplayer web console to work well on Safari on iOS devices. |
| rpsde_client_id | In BBC Sounds, used for analytics in the Radioplayer web console to recognise your device each time you visit. |
| sa_labels | Allows the BBC to track which links on the BBC website a user has clicked on, so that we know what the previous BBC page was the user came from. |
| seencookieanno | In BBC Sounds, a Radioplayer cookie that records whether you've been shown the message describing how cookies are used to store station favourites. |
| SID | Remembers routes a user takes through the website/quizzes. |
| site24x7rumID | Allows site availability to be measured based on actual visitor usage rather than polling from external machines every few minutes. |
| stationslistprefix | In BBC Sounds, a Radioplayer cookie that helps make the A-Z station list work well by storing the last letter viewed. |
| volume | In BBC Sounds, a Radioplayer cookie that remembers your last volume level value. |
