We have long been a strong advocate of creating online-only content, or what many broadcasters call web radios, which offer variations of a station’s programming to coexist with a station’s live feed. As the following article illustrates, this strategy “may be a key to competing with digital audio services in an increasingly digital, on-demand audio world where consumers expect customized content at their fingertips.”
We think that this article highlights the many ways that some radio groups here in the US are successfully embracing this important component to the prosperity of our industry. Outside of the US, here are some other operators who are doing a particularly good job, in our opinion, of building out their digital streams:
Sky Radio (The Netherlands): http://www.skyradio.nl/ (here you can find custom stations ranging from all Christmas to one just for Bootcamp)
NRJ (France): http://www.nrj.fr/ (the variety of digital radio stations here, all under the “NRJ” brand, is truly remarkable)
Karnaval Media Group (Turkey): http://karnaval.com/radyolar (in addition to providing digital feeds of its live streams, Karnaval also offers a host of options, spanning the spectrum from a Freddy Mercury channel to a branded Hard Rock Café one)
Astro Radio (Malaysia): http://astroradio.com.my/#stations (Astro, through its direct broadcast satellite (DBS) Pay TV service, offers its digital stations both via its website as well as on specially dedicated cable channels)
Hopefully, as radio groups continue to define and fine tune their digital strategies, delivering digital-only streams that act as a compliment to their existing brands will become even more ubiquitous. We think it’s a crucial component to the future of our industry.