Search »

New Internet Radio Player to Link Commercial, BBC Radio

The BBC plans to launch an internet radio player that will offer more than 400 stations, including both commercial stations and stations from the BBC.

The UK Radioplayer project, due to launch in early 2010, was created via partnerships with the Radio Centre, Global Radio and Guardian Media Group. Users will have access to Ofcom-licensed national, local, community and student U.K. stations, writes the Guardian.

Global Radio is the biggest commercial radio company in the U.K., owning brands including Classic FM, Capital, Heart, and LBC.

The player will be a pop-up console that will include embeddable widgets for websites and a localized search function. A new search engine designed specifically for radio will allow users to search by program type - for news, sports, specific music genres or even individual songs, for example.

Ashley Tabor, founder and CEO of Global Group, says Radioplayer will “provide further cohesion between commercial radio and the BBC as we drive to digital,” while Andrew Harrison, CEO of the Radio Centre, calls it a “breakthrough for listeners and an attractive new proposition for advertisers.”

Online radio revenue is expected by SNL Kagan to grow 12% this year, to $441 million; in 2010, online radio revenue will leap by 20%, to $530 million.

Online revenue will also grow from 2.7% of total radio revenue in 2009 to 3.2% of the total in 2010. By 2013, online revenue growth is expected to level off, making up 4.7% of radio’s total revenue.

SNL Kagan analyst Justin Nielson points out that radio broadcasters were slow to embrace new technologies, but says that, with the decline of traditional ad spending, radio stations have “turned to online initiatives to grow top-line revenues, improving their Web sites and embracing online streaming and mobile apps to drive their local base to their multiple platforms. With total radio revenue only expected to post modest growth over the next five years, it has become increasingly vital for stations to monetize digital innovations.”

ZenithOptimedia predicts that overall radio revenue will return to positive growth in 2011.