It is transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz AM in the medium wave band, and on digital radio, digital satellite and digital terrestrial television.
The station was originally launched as BBC Radio 5 at 9am on 27 August 1990, and carried a mixture of sports, news, children's programming and drama, broadcasting for about 18 hours per day. The BBC eventually decided to relaunch the station with a new name, so the "old" Radio 5 closed down at midnight on Sunday 27 March, 1994 following a special programme on the subject of endings, and the new Radio Five Live began its 24-hour service on the morning of Monday, 28 March.
Before the launch of digital broadcasting, both versions of the station broadcast for several years on analogue satellite with near-FM quality.
A companion station, BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra, was launched as a digital-only service on 2 February 2002.