Andrew McDonough

Listening to The Ashes commentary on my iPhone

July 09, 2009

Update (2019):

I wrote this post in 2009, so it’s probably not very useful anymore. I’ve left it here, as I am trying not to let content disappear from the web. I also find it interesting historical reasons…

For a while, this was the most popular page on my website, which shows how difficult it was to find streaming audio content 10 years ago. The iPhone had been released two years previously, but publishers hadn’t really made it easy to access their content on mobile devices. It’s amazing how much things have changed

If you’re still reading this in 2019, listening to the Ashes is as simple as visiting BBC Sport’s cricket page

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a pub in Bayswater that shows the cricket during the day. I went searching for one today, hoping to catch a bit of The Ashes over my lunch hour. Of the few I did find, none had the volume turned up. Even The Elbow Room, which has individual TVs intended for watching sport, was playing loud 90s dance music instead (at 2pm).

I decided that next time I needed to more prepared. I needed my own portable commentary source. My first thoughts were a traditional AM radio, but this approach felt a bit dated. I then had a look at DAB alternatives, but was shocked that they are still so expensive.

Finally, after a bit of research, I found that I had the solution already; my iPhone. Here is how to do it:

  1. Go to the App Store and search for the App 'FStream'. It's free, so download it
  2. Open FStream and Select the 'Favourites' menu
  3. Click 'Edit' then 'Add new webradio'
  4. Call the station something like 'BBC Radio 5 Sports'
  5. Enter the URL http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r5lsp.asx
  6. Click on the 'Play' menu and select your new station.
  7. Within a few seconds you should have BBC Radio 5 sport
  8. Find a pub

These instructions don’t just work for the Radio 5; most of the other BBC radio stations are available. You can find a list of URLs at http://bbcstreams.com/.

Andrew McDonough

Andrew McDonough is a consultant CTO and software developer, currently based between Berlin and London.

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