BFBS Update April 2025

I’d like to start by sharing the good news that we have had approval to negotiate our next 10-year contract with the MOD. Since we received the confirmation at the end of January, we've begun working with the MOD to ensure that we will continue to offer the very best services to the UK Armed Forces in the future.  

I’m keen to flag a big ‘first’ for BFBS as we have just launched our very own Pro League Esports event for the Armed Forces. It’s a truly global competition and I’m hugely grateful to my staff and those in the military who have shared their gaming expertise in the planning stages – read more on this below. 

We’ve also got our top picks from BFBS Forces News, plus features on our live entertainment for troops in Estonia, and even more movies for personnel and families. There's news of our new-look MiPlayer and we share a round-up of our music specials and coverage from the Invictus Games. 

And this month, I'm really looking forward to meeting more inspirational members of the military community at the Celebrating Forces Families Awards where BFBS is proud to be Event Partner. 

I wish you and your families a very Happy Easter.  

Ben Chapman CEO 

We have launched our very own esports competition for the armed forces community, designed for everyone, from casual players to seasoned pros – its inclusive, it’s fun, there are prizes to be won, and we’re inviting you to take part. 

The competition is open to anyone in the military community above the age of 13 who is interested in gaming. This includes cadets, serving personnel, reservists, veterans, those in the OTC, direct relatives of serving personnel, and the bereaved community.  We’re also inviting MOD civil servants to take part.

The BFBS Pro League has exciting giveaways including gaming equipment, consoles, cash prizes, and other promotions throughout the event. 

Adam Waters, Director of BFBS Creative and Academy said: "Spend time with anyone under the age of 18 and I guarantee they will play video games of some sort. If they are older the chances are still very high. The armed forces recently recognised esports (competitive gaming) as an endorsed, official activity.  

 "And it’s no surprise why – the conflict in Ukraine has shown how much damage a drone controlled with an xbox controller can inflict. And if the Armed Forces want to recruit successfully, they have to go where the young people of today are – gaming.  

"We’re launching this league to bring the whole armed forces community together. Veterans, cadets, serving, reservists, forces kids and partners, the bereaved community, and MOD civil servants.” 

To sign up for the BFBS Pro League early access go to bfbsesports.com 

Since our last update, we've been in multiple European locations, reporting on exercises in Romania, Estonia, Belgium, and Italy. In the UK, we worked with Army Comms to get exclusive access to Ajax arriving at units – YouTube had 286k views. 

Over in Cyprus, our reporter Sofie Cacoyannis spent seven weeks following Junior NCO Cadre run by 1 Rifles. The CO said her report had "enthused" others to do the cadre. Watch it here.  

And our weekly Sitrep podcast covered the difficult topic of abuse of female service personnel with sensitivity. Former Defence People Minister, Sarah Atherton, said: "BFBS never shies away from the tough conversations that matter." 

A report testing the RAF myth that Tunnock's tea cakes exploded at altitude in V-bombers was picked up by the Times, BBC, Mail and Telegraph. 

February was action packed for our sports reporters with UKAF Winter Sports Championship and Invictus Games back-to-back. We had nearly two million video views across all platforms for both competitions combined, with a record-breaking year on Instagram – see more on our Invictus coverage below. 

Our BFBS MiPlayer platform delivers TV, radio, plus magazines and newspapers to personnel on their phones and tablets even when there is no internet, and it has just had a major facelift with a new-look user interface. The revamped landing page now displays all content types available on MiPlayer in one view and highlights the latest entertainment and information, and it’s already getting rave reviews. 

MiPlayer is widely deployed in operational areas such as Eastern Europe, Iraq, Somalia, and the Gulf, as well as other poorly connected land locations such as the Falkland Islands. 

The service has also been expanded at sea where all ships have MiPlayer on wifi, as for the first time MiPlayer set top boxes have been added to all cabins on RFA Tidespring ahead of her joining this year's carrier strike group enabling easier access on cabin televisions. 

And very soon we will be launching two new features on the MiPlayer. Our audio-on-demand section will have the latest forces stories, plus conversations with stars of music, entertainment, film, and TV. And our Forces Shorts section is the new home for all BFBS Forces News videos, covering cool kit, new tech, tactics, world warfare, and global military news. 

Troops based in Tapa enjoyed a brilliant concert courtesy of BFBS Live Events in February. With a full line up featuring comedy from Alistair Barrie, solo singer, and guitarist Steph Willis, the BFBS dancers, covers band Superficial Damage and headline act, drum and bass legends Sigma, there was something for everyone and lots of very happy dancing soldiers at the end of the night! 

The team also took Richard Jones – the ex-Household Cavalry magician – to a small contingent based at Al Musannah in Oman and to our deployed forces on Op Crossways. "Being stationed in such an isolated area with such a small team comes with its challenges, moments like these truly make a difference," ... "The visit gave the troops something to look forward to as well as taking their mind off being deployed in the desert away from loved ones for six months." 

The Live Events team has been entertaining Chelsea Pensioners for several years at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Last month they produced a full show with magician Richard Jones, singer Talia Ould, and the fabulous Young Elton tribute. But Chelsea Pensioners from the Infirmary – who live in a care home in the grounds – have been unable to enjoy the live entertainment to date. The team organised a separate show within the Infirmary, so that everyone on site could enjoy the fun. They also met the first Gurkha Chelsea Pensioner who was live-streaming segments of the show on TikTok!  

Contact our Live Events team here. 

If you love getting the lowdown on what motivates and inspires bands, you’ll love our recent music specials. Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand had a self-presented take over on BFBS Radio. They discussed their collaboration with Sparks, how they swapped songs with LCD Soundsystem, and shared behind-the-scenes chats about videos and photoshoots, including the racehorse after which they were named! 

And when Sigma drum and bass DJ duo performed for troops in Estonia (see above) they also recorded an exclusive programme for BFBS Radio mixing music, insight into their musical direction, and chats backstage as they prepared to perform for those on Op Cabrit. 

Looking ahead to Easter we have an eggs-traordinary weekend of music and more on BFBS Radio. From Friday 18 to Tuesday 22 April, we'll be bringing you the best music from the 80s right through to the 20s. Each day will be dedicated to playing some absolute bangers from each decade.  

Our radio, news, and digital teams all reported live from the Invictus Games, Vancouver Whistler 2025. On BFBS TV, a bespoke arrangement between BFBS, Icarus Sports and the IGF unlocked an extensive package of produced coverage for global UKAF audiences. We showcased between two and four hours of live action each day, including the opening and celebration ceremonies, alongside as-live repeats, and a daily highlights programme – considerably more than was available in the UK. Our content also included a powerful and inspiring documentary made by the RAF, where members of Team UK champion the power of sport in recovery. 

Highlights from our radio broadcasters included 'snow tubing' with a Team UK athlete while they were on air and catching up with crooner Michael Bublé. The social media team created over 40 videos and photo posts complementing the radio output, showcasing 62 Team UK athletes and more than 137 family and friends, illustrating the healing power of sport through stories of resilience and support. And, as mentioned above, our BFBS Forces News team shared daily coverage which can still be enjoyed on a dedicated page at forcesnews.com. 

We love treating our audiences to big blockbusters, especially when we can show them on the same day as their UK release, which is exactly what happened when we screened Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Captain America: Brave New World and Disney’s Snow White, all for personnel and families based worldwide. 

Our BFBS Cinelink service – the portable cinema showing the latest films within 6-8 weeks of cinema release – means that more military audiences are enjoying fantastic films in a wide variety of venues and locations. We recently placed new Cinelink boxes at RAF Northolt and for those serving on Op Chessman. And there were plenty of free snacks when we launched Cinelink for the military community in Sennelager in the Loseke Community Centre and WRVS. Screenings will also be hosted across the messes, with the Cinelink player moving between Athlone Barracks and 23 Amphibious Squadron.  

Head to our BFBS Cinemas site for more info on Cinelink. 

And finally... we're keeping everything crossed for out talented production teams who have been nominated for awards at the prestigious New York Festival Radio Awards. Our Sitrep team has secured two finalist short listings in the Best Companion Podcast category for 'The Moment That Made Me' and 'Great British Battle Commanders'. Both series grew from ideas to increase our story telling. And the team behind BFBS Creative's Culture Colonel has also been shortlisted for 'Captain Morgan's lost her marbles' in the Personal Lives category. 

The winners will be announced in New York on May 22!