Radio 1 is operated by the BBC, which means that it does not broadcast adverts, except for adverts for its own programmes and events.
While commercial radio stations such as Heart are funded through advertising, the BBC is a public broadcaster funded by the licence fee, which television owners in the UK must pay annually in order to watch live television.
There are a few limited instances in which you may hear commercial adverts on BBC content:
- When listening to podcasts outside the UK – The BBC started featuring adverts on podcasts downloaded outside the UK in May 2018.
- When listening via commercial streaming services such as TuneIn – These services have their own pre-roll ads that usually play before you hear the radio station you’ve selected. To ensure you don’t get any ads, listen live on an FM or DAB radio, or stream directly from BBC Sounds.
To summarise, you won’t hear commercial adverts when listening to Radio 1 live, though you may hear promotions for Radio 1’s own shows and events.