An awaited radio-listening app that pulls together most or all Canadian terrestrial station streams will be launched sometime this spring. Radioplayer Canada is a joint venture of SparkNet, a digital solutions provider for Canadian radio, and audience measurement firm BBM Analytics.
The Canadian radio aggregator will be modeled on the successful Radioplayer U.K. The U.K. version is available to U.S. web listening, and works flawlessly in our testing.
The purpose of both ventures is to boost the radio industry in their respective regions: “Increase digital radio listening, therefore improve radio station ratings, therefore increase radio station revenue,” according to the press release. It’s also convenient usability for the user, erasing geographic limitations of broadcast signals.
It’s staggering how radio stations won’t invest in their own apps. Aggregating just makes radio digital advertising a race to the bottom based on CPM. Most radio stations will blow money on bus shelter ads, TV commercials, print ads but won’t invest in their new transmitter – the smartphone. There are but a few in the world who invest, bbc in the uk (license fee funded) and the most innovative I have seen Communicorp group in Eire / Ireland. That’s my ten cents anyway.