Online radio player attracts 5.7m monthly users
Radio bosses have hailed the “instant impact” that Radioplayer, the online player that streams content from hundreds of radio stations, has had after revealing that it attracted 5.7 million listeners in May.
The commercial and BBC radio backed service – which features shows, podcasts and archive content from stations such as Radio 1, Classic FM, Capital, Smooth Radio and Absolute – launched in March.
“Early snap shot” figures claim that the 5.7 million unique users launched 22.5 million listening sessions in the month.
No target was publically set for listenership at launch but the progress is thought to be just ahead of expectations.
The industry hopes that the player will attract younger listeners to the medium. There is a concern in the industry that radio could lose out to other, younger media channels in the battle for attention and, for ad funded stations, revenue.
Radioplayer’s managing director Michael Hill, says: “growing digital radio is a long game, but we now have two magic ingredients – a simple, consistent Radioplayer with millions of users, and an industry working collaboratively on its digital future – it’s a great start.”
The industry is working with radio measurement body Rajar to determine a formal measurement framework.
