Ofcom has launched a consultation proposing new rules to guarantee access to UK radio via voice assistant platforms such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.
The plans mark the next step in implementing listener safeguards following the Media Act passed last year, which aims to ensure that radio remains freely and reliably available on smart speakers.
Ofcom’s report recommends that Amazon, Google and Apple be designated by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy as “significant platforms for radio listening”.
This means their voice assistants would be required to meet specific obligations, including ensuring that stations requested by name play correctly, access is free of charge, and that no additional content such as unauthorised adverts is overlaid on broadcasts.
The regulator says the move is designed to protect radio’s role as a trusted and freely accessible service at a time when nearly a third of all listening now takes place online, with smart speakers accounting for 18 per cent of those hours.
Ofcom’s consultation runs until 11 December, and the final framework is expected to come into force in 2026.
Matt Payton, Chief Executive of Radiocentre, said: “Radio listeners must be able to access their favourite stations simply and reliably on voice activated devices like smart speakers.
“Ofcom’s recommendations are a welcome first step in putting this into practice and ensuring that radio can continue to reach audiences with its valuable mix of music, information and entertainment.”
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