Radioplayer smartphone app out in summer

Radioplayer, which brings together online radio listening in the UK, says its first smartphone app will be out on iOS and Android platforms within months.

The news came as the company – a partnership between the BBC and commercial radio – announced it hit 7 million unique monthly users during February.

A marketing campaign to promote Radioplayer has also started in the last few weeks, with radio ads airing on Classic FM, Absolute Radio, Smooth Radio and Real Radio.

The smartphone app has been developed by Radioplayer partners together with All In Media and we’re told will be ‘as simple to use as a radio’. A range of apps for connected TVs is also due to go live later this year, starting on YouView. Another recent addition to Radioplayer has been adding simple podcast functionality, developed by G Media, which enables any of the 300+ member stations to add on-demand content to the platform’s search engine.

Radioplayer also says demand from around the world to use its partnership model means it is already in talks with a number of countries globally. Russia has already signed an agreement to use it. Money brought in from international ventures will be re-invested to help keep development costs of Radioplayer down for the UK radio industry.

Michael Hill, Managing Director, said: “Our first year has smashed expectations. We thought we’d have 3-4m users, and we’ve doubled that. We aimed to focus on computers, but we’re now rolling out to mobiles and TVs. And we never dreamed the model would spread beyond the UK.”

Tim Davie, Head of Audio and Music at the BBC said: “The success of the Radioplayer shows the value of our strategy to grow the whole sector through partnership. The latest round of innovation will ensure it keeps setting the pace.”

Andrew Harrison, Chairman of Radioplayer added: “Radioplayer was launched nearly a year ago in an unprecedented display of industry co-ordination. It has grown steadily during that time to its seven million unique users today. Our next steps will be to work on behalf of the industry to take Radioplayer onto new platforms, ensuring radio is well represented in areas such as connected TVs and apps.”