Channel 4 is reportedly in talks with electronic manufacturers to create a small branded DAB digital radio plug-in for iPods and mobiles phones, and hopes to makes them available for no more than £20.
A similar device is already available for the iPod and iPhone from Roberts Radio for around £50, but a Channel 4 branded device, launched with the marketing power of national television stations, could help DAB secure a long term future.
[link=https://radiotoday.co.uk/page.php?123]Speaking[/link] at the RADIO 3.0 conference last week, 4 Radio boss Bob Shennan hinted at such a partnership: "DAB has reached a pivotal moment. Conversations are underway between "many and various stakeholders" about pushing DAB forward, he said. "No one disputes that radio's future has to be digital."
There are now over 300 products in the market which can receive a DAB signal, with the entry price for a DAB radio now under £15. Official sales figures, according to GfK, the industry’s marketing service, show cumulative sales stood at 7.05 million at the end of April.
Talking about the launch of the new digital stations, Shennan said: "I don't buy the rhetoric about Channel 4 reinventing radio. But the involvement of a company of our size and pedigree will have an impact."