Statement: Changes to BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Asian Network

Statement published July 31st 2025

We have today, following a consultation, decided to approve the BBC’s request to amend its Operating Licence to reduce the news and current affairs quotas on BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Asian Network.

The BBC’s request

The BBC announced changes to its services in Northern Ireland in 2022, which included replacing the two-hour breakfast programme on BBC Radio Foyle with a new, shorter show.

The BBC should have requested a reduction of the news and current affairs quota in its Operating Licence at the time. However, due to an error that the BBC made in calculating its output, it mistakenly believed that it did not need to do so.

To correct this, earlier this year the BBC submitted a request to reduce its news and current affairs quota for BBC Radio Foyle from 1,043 hours to 710 hours in each financial year. 

Separately, the BBC plans to refresh BBC Asian Network so that it better serves younger listeners. It has therefore requested that its news and current affairs quota for BBC Asian Network be reduced from at least 1,224 hours to at least 675 hours in each financial year. The BBC explained that this will enable it to replace some of its news and current affairs programming with new music-focused shows.

Our decision

As viewers and listeners continue to migrate online, the BBC needs to be able to adapt and invest to meet evolving audience habits, providing content where people are most likely to find and engage with it.

Our view is that the amended quotas would be appropriate for requiring the BBC to fulfil its Mission and promote its Public Purposes, and the changes have the potential to meet changing audience needs. We have therefore approved the BBC’s request.

We expect the BBC to monitor the impact of the changes made to BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Asian Network on audience engagement, to ensure it continues to adapt to better serve audiences.  

In relation to BBC Radio Foyle, we are disappointed the BBC breached its licence conditions, and we will consider this in the context of compliance in our Annual Report on the BBC later this year.

More broadly, the BBC must also be transparent about how it is delivering for audiences, and we will hold it to account, including continuing to assess its performance.