 Logo used since 2022 | |
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Frequencies | DAB: 12B Freeview: 706 Freesat: 706 Sky(UK only): 0131 Virgin Media: 908 Virgin Media Ireland: 928 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Sport |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | BBC |
| BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| History | |
First air date | 2 February 2002; 23 years ago (2002-02-02) |
Former names | BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra (2002–2022) |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | Ofcom |
| Links | |
| Website | BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra viaBBC Sounds |
| BBC Radio |
|---|
| Nationwide |
| Digital-only |
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (formerlyBBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra) is a Britishdigital radio station owned and operated by theBBC, and specialising in extended live sports coverage. It is a sister station toBBC Radio 5 Live and shares facilities, presenters and management, and is a department of theBBC North Group division.
If a major news story breaks during the live sport broadcasts on 5 Live, the sports coverage may sometimes be redirected and continued on 5 Sports Extra, while 5 Live switches to live news.
The station is only available ondigital radio, television platforms andBBC Sounds. For licensing reasons, international streaming of the stationhas not been available since 25 July 2016.
According toRAJAR, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 971,000 with a listening share of 0.2% as of March 2024.[1]
In May 2025, two spin-off stations were added to BBC Sounds, Sports Extra 2 and Sports Extra 3, which allows multiple sporting events to be broadcast via sounds simultaneously.
BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra launched as part of the BBC's expansion into digital radio by launching several digital only stations that would complement existing coverage. At the time of launch, all radio sports coverage was included as part ofBBC Radio 5 Live's mix of news and sport, thelongwave frequencies ofBBC Radio 4 or on individualBBC Local Radio stations. As these platforms could not accommodate any additional sports, a new service was launched: BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra. The station began broadcasts at 2:30 pm on 2 February 2002. Juliette Ferrington introduced the first programme – commentary of thePremier League match betweenManchester United andSunderland.
In 2007, the station was rebranded in line with the rest of the network. The new BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra logo was turned into a circular based logo in the colour green; according to research, the green colour was chosen as people associated it with sport.[2] In addition, a new background of blue and red diagonal lines on the same green colour was adopted for promotions for the service. Along with the rebrand, Sports Extra became more closely aligned with 5 Live. As a result, the online presence of the station was toned down with only an upcoming schedule remaining; all other details were merged into the 5 Live website or the newBBC Radio online homepage.
In 2011 the station, along with 5 Live, moved toMediaCityUK inSalford.
In 2022, the station's name was shortened to Radio 5 Sports Extra as part of a rebranding of the BBC.[3]
In 2024, the BBC announced plans to broadcastBBC Sounds sports podcasts and sports programming from theirnations and regions on the station when it is not airing live sports coverage.[4][5] On 10 April 2025, Ofcom provisionally indicated that it would reject these plans, saying they "could have a significant impact on commercial sports radio, specifically theTalksport network".[6][7] Similar plans to broadcast regular programming on the station were previously rejected in 2015.[8]
On 16 May 2025, two new services, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, appeared onBBC Sounds as streaming services to supplement Radio 5 Sports Extra. These spin-off streams will be used to provide additional sports coverage when BBC Radio is covering multiple sporting events at the same time.[9]
The remit of BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is to bring a greater choice of live action to sports fans by offering a part-time extension of BBC Radio 5 live. The service should aim to provide increased value for licence fee payers from the portfolio of sports rights already owned by the BBC by offering alternative coverage to that provided on other UK-wide BBC services. All output on 5 live Sports Extra should be live sports coverage.
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra is broadcast only on digital platforms. It is transmitted onDAB Digital Radio and on digital television throughsatellite services, such asSky andFreesat,cable operators, such asVirgin Media,DTT services viaFreeview, and onIPTV.[11] The service is also available online through theBBC website, theBBC Sounds service and theRadioplayer service part owned by the BBC. The BBC Sounds platform also re-broadcasts programmes for catch-up after original broadcast. Due to rights restrictions, some programmes arerestricted to UK audiences or are not available on the BBC's online services.[11]
The station is a part-time service, only airing during ongoing sports broadcasts. Although it mostly broadcasts sports coverage not available on Radio 5 Live, sometimes, sections of sports coverage on Radio 5 Sports Extra will be broadcast on Radio 5 Live, such as the for final part of the Formula 1 qualifying or occasionally other major sports, such as cricket.[12]
The broadcasts themselves are live and uninterrupted except when updates are given by commentators to listeners on Radio 5 Live, as opposed to sports coverage on Radio 5 Live which has interruptions for other sports updates and regular news bulletins. During Sports Extra's downtime, the station does not simulcast any other broadcast although a label for Sports Extra is continuously radiated on the DAB multiplex to allow those tuning their radio to store the station to their device even if it is not on air. On digital TV platforms, where Sports Extra has its own dedicated full-time stream, not sharing feed capacity with any other services, a looping promotionalbarker is played if no live programming is scheduled; theEPG information during this reel will often give details of the next live event to be covered by the station, should this information be available. The Sports Extra internet stream, which used to go off air when live content was not running, now also broadcasts the promo loop.
The station's controller is Jonathan Wall, who is also responsible for 5 Live and is answerable to theBBC North and BBC Audio & Music departments.[13] The station operates from Quay House inMediaCityUK on a single floor alongside 5 Live. Although 5 Sports Extra uses no studio space, the teams required to organise the match coverage are shared with 5 Live. The move toSalford took two months, and occurred alongside 5 Live, in a bid to create a northern media hub and to outsource major production from London. Previously, 5 Sports Extra had been located alongside 5 Live inBBC Television Centre and spread over several floors.[14]
Any live sports programmes, only broadcast on the BBC Sport Web Site and BBC Sport App are not available to listen to again on BBC Sounds. This is the case when you see the words
BBC Sport website and mobile app
— BBC Formula 1,[15]
Only programmes broadcast on the BBC radio stations, including BBC 5 Sports Extra, are available to listen to again. This differs from the iPlayer Red Button, which is available to watch again, even if it is not broadcast on a television channel.
5 Sports Extra broadcast a variety of sports including:
Test Match Special has always been seen as the flagship broadcast, and it takes priority over all other sporting coverage on the station.
Through the 2012 season, 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra carriedNFL late games broadcast on Sunday evening, with coverage taken fromWestwood One, except theNFL International Series andSuper Bowl, which used BBC-produced commentaries.Absolute Radio 90s acquired the broadcast rights to the NFL beginning in 2013. BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra reacquired the rights to NFL games for the 2014–15 playoffs.[16]
53°28′22″N2°17′50″W / 53.47278°N 2.29722°W /53.47278; -2.29722
