BBC Radio 1 Anthems is a British online-only radio stream, owned and operated by the BBC and run as a spin-off from BBC Radio 1. The station launched on 8 November 2024 and plays a wide range of music and acts supported by the main Radio 1 network in the 2000s and 2010s.[2] It broadcasts exclusively on BBC Sounds and will be fully launched on DAB+ in 2025. It is a commercial competitor to Capital Anthems, a Capital spin-off launched on September 12, 2024.
From as early as 2019, the Radio 1 Anthems brand began appearing on the main Radio 1 network. This allowed the station to offer a variety of playlist-style shows on BBC Sounds, which was launched in 2018[3] and identified as a strategic priority by the BBC to expand the platform's audience.[4]
The station rebranded its Radio 1's Greatest Hits show (Friday to Sunday, 10-11 am) as Radio 1 Anthems in July 2019.[5] This brought it inline with existing anthems show, Radio 1's Dance Anthems, which had been part of the Friday and Saturday evening schedule in its current inception since 2012.[6] Other playlist shows like Radio 1's Workout Mix were rebranded as Workout Anthems,[7] the Friday edition of Radio 1's Dance Anthems was rebranded as Party Anthems,[8] while Chillout Anthems launched in September 2019.[9]
In November 2019, reports showed that the BBC was considering launching 'spin-off stations' of their popular music stations in order to gain more listeners.[10] The first of these, Radio 1 Dance, launched on 9 October 2020 with Annie Mac, Danny Howard and Pete Tong hosting a 4-hour dance simulcast.[11] Following this, the BBC launched Radio 1 Relax on BBC Sounds in April 2021.[12] Radio 1 Relax closed on 24 July 2024.[13]
Additional Radio 1 Anthems playlists including Pop Anthems,[14]Festival Anthems,[15]Ibiza Anthems,[16]R&B Anthems[17] and Rap Anthems[18] launched on the network between 2020 and 2022.
In February 2024, the corporation announced plans to launch three new spin-offs, pending public consultation and regulatory approval: one from Radio 1 for “music from the 2000s and 2010s, catering to the appetite from young audiences for recent nostalgia”; one from Radio 2, with “a distinctive take on pop nostalgia’ from the 50s, 60s and 70s”; and one from Radio 3 for “calming classical music”. In addition, Radio 1 Dance would launch on DAB+ with expanded programming.[19]
Following regulatory approval from Ofcom, the BBC announced in September 2024 that the Radio 1 strand would be Radio 1 Anthems and would launch on BBC Sounds from Friday 8 November 2024.[2]
Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, said: “Radio 1 Anthems is going to be a great nostalgic trip for our young audience, and to make it happen we’re going to be giving some new opportunities to people from across the UK. Radio 1 plays a crucial role in developing new talent for the entire industry, and we can’t wait to bring this new offer for our listeners to enjoy and discover.”[citation needed]
Programming
Programming on the stream will be existing on-demand content from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Sounds.[20] This includes Radio 1's Workout Anthems, Radio 1's Chillout Anthems and Radio 1's Pop Anthems, and also the extensive Radio 1 archive.
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