Letters: End of BBC Sounds is too cruel for listeners in France
Connexion readers say putting the service behind a paywall would be a better option
The BBC confirmed to The Connexion that the geoblocking of its Sounds app will not happen in spring, but later in 2025
chrisdorney/Shutterstock
To the Editor,
What I find contradictory is that BBC Sounds will still be available to those in the UK who pay the TV licence.
There is, however, no licence for radio only – those who do not have a TV (we actually know somebody in this category) and who do not pay a TV licence can still listen to the radio.
So why are people living abroad any different?
Slightly more remote is, of course, the fact that some overseas UK citizens still pay income tax in the UK which indirectly funds the BBC.
It is all very well the BBC saying one can use third-party sites, but unlike BBC Sounds these do not have a playback facility, which of course is used by many living in different time zones.
Brian Ashworth, by email
Read more: Here is a cheap way for second-home owners to get internet in France
To the Editor,
May I add my voice to those of the many other disappointed people living in France and elsewhere in the world at the BBC’s decision to axe the Sounds app.
If finances are so tight, why not simply put the Sounds app behind a paywall for non-UK listeners?
It would surely be a relatively inexpensive development (unlike developing a completely new version of BBC.com?) and generate a new revenue stream.
I, for one, would be happy to pay a contribution to a licence fee or a fee to use the app.
Malcolm Maxwell, Haute-Garonne
Read more: How to listen to BBC radio as broadcaster ends access to Sounds app in France
To the Editor,
BBC Sounds is incredibly important to me. During Covid, it helped keep my head above water. I would happily have paid the licence fee in order to keep it.
Now, we will have to listen to constant 'adverts' for programmes that we cannot easily access, as we do for iPlayer, just to reinforce what we are missing. And with so little notice.
It is too cruel.
Jane Boyle, by email
How do you feel about the geoblocking of BBC Sounds outside the UK? Are you going to miss out on any programmes that you particularly enjoy? Let us know how you plan to adapt at letters@connexionfrance.com
