Radio 1 has always pioneered innovative ideas and led the way in engaging with young people and this is another huge step in cementing that reputation.”

Music fans will, for the first time, be able to watch exclusive performances and interviews which are not broadcast on the BBC’s traditional TV channels.

Videos filmed by Radio 1 have already made it the biggest radio station featured online and via YouTube, and it is hoped the move to BBC iPlayer will help reach even bigger audiences of young people.

The new channel means that people will be able to catch up with Radio 1 on whichever screen they wish – TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone – at whatever time they want.

Content will range from music featured in Radio 1’s Live Lounge or at the annual Big Weekend festival, to interviews with major stars or popular online features such as Innuendo Bingo.

It is also hoped that the new channel will be able to carry live events such as the Radio 1 Teen Awards or BBC Radio 1Xtra Live.

Ben Cooper, Controller of BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra, says: “I'm very excited about transforming Radio 1 from being just a radio station into being a full audio-visual channel. Radio 1 has always pioneered innovative ideas and led the way in engaging with young people and this is another huge step in cementing that reputation.”

An interview with Kanye West by Zane Lowe in September attracted over 3 million views on the station’s YouTube channel, while DJ Greg James’s spoof video of Wrecking Ball has had 2.8 million views and Bastille’s Live Lounge has notched up 1.9 million.

Notes to Editors

BBC Radio 1 already has 550,000 subscribers online and receives nearly 12 million views a month (average, June 2012 to June 2013). The biggest consumers of video clips are girls between 13 and 17. From 24 August to 22 September this year, seven people per second clicked play on a Radio 1 video, making it the most popular radio station on YouTube.

﻿This proposal may need approval from the BBC Trust.

CD2