Media Websites

BBC Sounds

Lauched on some Connected TVs 24 Mar 2020 (June 2018)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SP
Spencer

Although a lot of people (both on air and off air) still call it 'Listen Again'


The pedant in me has always considered 'Listen Again' to be a bit of a nonsensical term to describe on-demand services, given most people won't have heard what they're listening to before.
LS
Lou Scannon
Surely most people just say iPlayer though?


Which I did actually mention in my post....

I've always disliked the "BBC iPlayer" name. Six sodding syllables. Too long. Up to 4 syllables (maybe 5, at an absolute push) feels like a natural upper limit for a catchy brand name. Hence people often missing off the all-important "BBC" bit.


...My point being that the over-long name causing most people to drop the bit that mentions the actual broadcaster's name is surely the exact opposite of what any kind of "branding" aims to achieve?
JA
Jamesypoo
Surely most people just say iPlayer though?


Which I did actually mention in my post....

I've always disliked the "BBC iPlayer" name. Six sodding syllables. Too long. Up to 4 syllables (maybe 5, at an absolute push) feels like a natural upper limit for a catchy brand name. Hence people often missing off the all-important "BBC" bit.


...My point being that the over-long name causing most people to drop the bit that mentions the actual broadcaster's name is surely the exact opposite of what any kind of "branding" aims to achieve?

See also the BBC renaming BBC News 24 to (The) BBC News (Channel). The main reason was supposedly because people were dropping the "BBC" from the "News 24" name. However now that still happens, with even the BBC themselves saying "the news channel" on air.
VM
VMPhil
Surely most people just say iPlayer though?


Which I did actually mention in my post....

I've always disliked the "BBC iPlayer" name. Six sodding syllables. Too long. Up to 4 syllables (maybe 5, at an absolute push) feels like a natural upper limit for a catchy brand name. Hence people often missing off the all-important "BBC" bit.


...My point being that the over-long name causing most people to drop the bit that mentions the actual broadcaster's name is surely the exact opposite of what any kind of "branding" aims to achieve?

See also the BBC renaming BBC News 24 to (The) BBC News (Channel). The main reason was supposedly because people were dropping the "BBC" from the "News 24" name. However now that still happens, with even the BBC themselves saying "the news channel" on air.

Even the BBC's online programme pages refer to programmes being broadcast on 'BBC News Channel' - which should be just 'BBC News'.
JA
JAS84
No it shouldn't. The channel is called the BBC News Channel, it distinguishes it from the wider BBC News service (online, BBC One bulletins). They just don't use Channel on their graphics - just like Channels 4 and 5.
VM
VMPhil
Its official name is just 'BBC News'. As mentioned, the whole point of dropping the '24' was to stop people shortening the channel name and leaving off the 'BBC'. Using another word in place of it kind of misses the point.

It's the same logic as renaming the X O'Clock News to BBC News at X - so the 'BBC News' brand is always there and not broken up.
BR
Brekkie
All the BBC podcasts I've listened to are affiliated with a BBC Radio station, so I don't see why they can't come under that umbrella.

That's the point, until fairly recently BBC podcasts were just radio programmes either in full or highlights. Early on there was a rule that they couldn't put out on a podcast anything that hadn't been on air, which is why if you turned on Radio 1 in the early hours of the morning you'd hear the Chris Moyles Podcast as the extra content they included needed to have been on air.


Over the last year they've started doing original podcasts to varying success, the most well known and successful probably being 'Me You and The Big C' which got a lot of coverage recently when one it's creator and presenter, 5 Live's Rachel Bland, died. Another success is Fortunately with Fi and Jane, which might be of interest to members here as it often interviews newsreaders and other BBC names. They are only loosely connected with their respective networks because they are productions in their own right

They recently got a head of podcasting and are now actively commissioning them

It's long overdue really, I think there was a fear that the BBC and as a consequence the UK in general were falling behind in the podcast world - the BBC despite all their might and creativity could only produce cut downs of Scott Mills and the like. It's a bit telling that one of the worlds most popular podcasts is presented by a Radio 1 presenter (although I can't imagine the BBC commissioning Dad Wrote a Porno!)

They're still linked to the radio stations and shows though and even if they weren't the iPlayer has content not broadcast on TV anyway. I've no issue really though with separate branding for their audio apps - it's just "BBC Sounds" is so ****.
SP
Spencer
Hugh Bonneville and Jason Watkins responded to this Tweet about BBC Sounds...

https://twitter.com/jennyeclair/status/1058058602068500482?s=21

[edit: is embedding Tweets on here not working?]
AG
AxG
Hugh Bonneville and Jason Watkins responded to this Tweet about BBC Sounds...

https://twitter.com/jennyeclair/status/1058058602068500482?s=21

[edit: is embedding Tweets on here not working?]

Remove the question mark and everything after it.


SP
Steve in Pudsey

That's the point, until fairly recently BBC podcasts were just radio programmes either in full or highlights. Early on there was a rule that they couldn't put out on a podcast anything that hadn't been on air, which is why if you turned on Radio 1 in the early hours of the morning you'd hear the Chris Moyles Podcast as the extra content they included needed to have been on air.


I think that rule was abandoned quite early on, replaced with a rule that a percentage (25%?) of the podcast could be original material. Certainly during Moyles' tenure on Breakfast.
SC
scottishtv Founding member
Mistajam going overboard on tonight's Dance Chart earlier, talking about everyone texting in as "listening now on BBC Sounds", "don't forget to check out BBC Sounds", etc etc, often multiple times per link, with "BBC Sounds" mentioned at least once per link for the hour I listened - he said it more than the station name.

Personally think "BBC Listen" would've been better (I think I read in a Sounds blog post that was an internal name of the project), but maybe it wasn't standing out enough to get attention. I like the app interface but can't see why it's launched without Chromecast support - I listen 80-90% of the time via a home speaker or via Chromecast-enabled TV sound system.
:-(
A former member
Had a look through the app and at what’s playing right now on all the local stations. It’s striking how many are currently being presented by middle-aged white men.

Newer posts