Amazon and Google will have to offer all UK licenced radio stations access to their streaming platforms.

This is to be a part of what is the biggest UK government overhaul of traditional broadcasting in over two decades.

Smart speaker platforms, such as Google and Amazon, will be required by law to ensure access to all licenced UK radio stations, from major national stations to the smallest community stations.

Platforms will be banned from charging stations for being hosted on their services or overlaying their own adverts over the top of those stations’ programmes.

The Bill will also reduce regulatory burdens on commercial radio stations, relaxing content and format requirements developed in the 1980s which tie them to commitments to broadcast particular genres of music or to particular age groups.

This will give stations more flexibility to update or adapt their services without needing consent from Ofcom.

The reduced bureaucracy these changes will deliver could save the radio industry up to £1 million per year.

New Ofcom research shows UK ownership of smart speakers almost doubled during the pandemic.

In 2020 almost 22% of the population had at least one of the devices from manufacturers including Amazon, Apple and Google but the percentage has now risen to 39%.

The inclusion of a guarantee that all UK licensed radio stations must be made available on smart speakers was welcomed by the industry.

Chief executive of RadioCentre, the industry body representing commercial radio stations, Matt Payton says, “With more radio listening than ever now taking place online and on smart speakers, it’s only sensible that the Government introduces safeguards for the future that will guarantee consumer choice and support the public value provided by UK radio services.

The commercial radio sector welcomes this important recognition of the vital role that it plays in the media landscape. We’re also pleased to see legislation that will finalise commercial radio deregulation, enabling stations to focus on producing great content that listeners want to hear.

Commercial radio stations have expressed concerns that without regulation, the makers of smart speakers would be able to restrict access to their platforms and undermine the sector’s advertising business model.

Currently one quarter of live radio audiences access content online, with more than half of that online audience using smart speakers such as Amazon’s Alexa, according to Radio Joint Audience