Unable to stream BBC podcasts to Wi-Fi speaker

[pavagen]

UK

Device

MacBook Air 10.14.2 / iPhone 6S 12.1.2

My Question or Issue

Unable to stream BBC Podcast content from either the OS or IOS Spotify App's to a Wi-Fi speaker (Libratone Zipp Mini). Other podcasts / music work fine. I have tried various BBC Podcasts and all exhibit the same issue. Streaming from iTunes and other sources works fine?

[pavagen]

Hey @tjt1961,

Thanks for getting back to us 🙂

We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and information with us. We'll make sure to pass it on to the right team.

We're not able to provide an exact timeline for a fix, but we'd recommend always keeping your Spotify app up-to-date to ensure you're on the latest version.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'll be happy to help.
 

[Russ209]

I am also having a similar issue. BBC podcasts will not play on Sonos speakers through Spotify connect. Other podcasts and music is working fine. When BBC podcasts are playing, spotify connect speakers are greyed out with the message 'can't play this right now'.

[Homarus]

Device: Pixel 4 XL
OS: Android 10
Spotify App: 8.5.51.941 (premium}

Playing on Sonos 1 Gen 1 and Echo Dot

I have the exact same issue.

All music and podcasts play fine on phone and streaming to speakers except BBC podcasts.

They play on my phone, but the list of available devices to play on just greys out preventing selection.

I reached out to BBC Sounds and they say it has nothing to do with them... 

[Homarus]

(fyi)
Device: Pixel 4 XL
OS: Android 10
Spotify App: 8.5.51.941

[RubbleMuss]

I’ve seen this issue out in help forums as far back as 2018... On several occasions a Spotify representative has stated it is a known issue. 
I have the exact same issue. BBC podcasts will play directly from my phone app, but I cannot select a device to connect to. If I miss the fact that I’m adding a BBC podcast to a queue or playlist, while listening from a speaker, the playback will stop when the BBC episode is reached, the queue will delete, and sometimes I will get a playback error. This is very frustrating and seems like something that should be easily solvable after such a long time period of this being known.

[Ivan]

Hey there folks,

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here! 
 

Let us know if this issue persists once you've performed a clean reinstall on the affected device. We recommend this step since it'll get you the latest app version with all necessary updates and remove any corrupted files from previous installations. 

It's also a good idea to check if you observe the same under a different network. If it works with another connection, it's best to contact the service provider of the original network for more information. 
 

Let us know how you get on! We'll be here in case you need any further help with this. 

[Omaruk]

Tried uninstalling and reinstalling but still same situation for bbc podcasts

[Mihail]

Hey @Omaruk,

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here.

Good job on checking first whether or not a reinstall solves the issue, in most such cases it does. However, could give it another go with these steps and run a clean reinstall? These ones are more thorough. That way you can make sure the cache is not causing this issue.

Did you also have the opportunity to try it out with a different network, as @Ivan suggested? Maybe a mobile hotspot would be a convenient way to run a quick test. This way we can rule out network restrictions as a possible cause for this behavior.

Keep us posted, we'll keep an eye out for your reply.

[tjt1961]

I have the same problem with the Android App, BBC podcasts, Spotify and Sonos. No problems at all with music or non-BBC podcasts.

I can play the BBC podcasts on Sonos from Stitcher using the Sonos App or using voice control with Alexa and the Stitcher skill, but the Stitcher app does not support casting to Sonos.

I have followed the recommendations to clear the cache and storage do a full re-installation of the App. I have a Pixel 3a XL running Android 11.

What is interesting is that on first using the re-installed app it seems unable to discover Sonos speakers if the first thing I play is a  BBC podcast, as soon as I play something else they are discovered but I still cannot play BC podcasts on them. There is something in the app that blocks BBC podcast playing on Sonos.

I am a Spotify Premium subscriber and was thinking of cancelling Stitcher Premium as all my favorite podcasts are available on Spotify, and the integration with Sonos via the app is better, but this is a show stopper.

Any further suggestions?

[Ver]

Hey @tjt1961,

Thanks for reaching out to us 🙂

The troubleshooting steps you've tried so far are very good. We'd like to add a few more.

We'd suggest you also try with another network.

If the issue persists, it's a good idea to try on another device. That way we can check if it's a device-related issue. Are there any changes?

Keep us posted! If you have more questions, we are here for you.

[tjt1961]

Hi @ver

I have tried this with a Pixel 3a XL, Galaxy Note 10 (both Android phones) and  an iPhone all with the same result...Sonos speakers are greyed in the device list  for BBC content

You can test this with BBC podcasts "13 minutes to the Moon" or "Children of the Stones". In contrast try playing any non-BBC podcast via the Spotify app and the integration with Sonos works perfectly.

Another simple test - play a non-BBC podcast on Sonos via the Spotify app then try and play a  BBC podcast and it will not play...a non BBC podcast plays.

I don't have the option of trying another network.

If this is working for other people, I would love to hear about it, but currently I think that that something in the Sonos/Spotify integration deliberately blocks BBC podcast content...it would not be the first time the BBC have blocked content and told users later on.