Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/11_november/19/radio.shtml

BBC and commercial radio unveil industry-wide Radioplayer
Date: 19.11.2009

The BBC and commercial radio today unveiled a new online radio player that aims to offer the output of every licensed UK radio station and to let users
search this content by subject, musical style, or even song title.

The UK Radioplayer, due for launch early next year, is a pop-up console which will be open to stream more than 400 licensed national, local, community
and student radio stations, offering a unique, constantly updated live and on-demand audio service.

It allows listeners to search every station on the UK Radioplayer network, identifying news programmes, sports highlights, musical genres or even 
individual songs, using a revolutionary new search engine designed for radio.

Users can store their favourite stations on pre-set buttons, for easy access.

The announcement comes as the industry revealed that that Heads of Terms for the project have been signed by the BBC, RadioCentre, Global Radio and 
Guardian Media Group.

The player is launched through radio stations' websites, where the console presents a simple, consistent experience and encourages listeners to discover 
new content. It has a standard look and functionality, irrespective of which station is being listening to.

Stations which choose to join the Radioplayer will have the freedom to accompany their live streams with additional material of their choice – on-demand 
audio, click-to-buy music services, webcams, track listings, adverts or the weather, for example.

In the first instance, the service will be made available to all Ofcom-licensed networks.

It will initially be available through desktop computers, with later versions intended for smartphones and other internet-connected devices like IPTVs.

All BBC radio services will be included in the player, subject to the Corporation's approvals process.

The UK Radioplayer follows discussions in the Radio Council about how the industry might deliver cross-sector digital projects. 
The player will be launched subject to consultation with the BBC Trust and RadioCentre board.