Mobile apps are “vital to help radio stations complement their current FM and AM services,” said radio specialist Joan Warner at the Radio Asia conference in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday.
But the CEO of Australia’s radio regulator Commercial Radio said the new technology “won’t replace free-to-air radio broadcasts”.
The role of apps and other online services has featured prominently so far, with representatives from several broadcasters keen to show off their successes.
One of the most integrated apps by a regional broadcaster is MeRadio from Singapore’s Mediacorp.
The next generation version will be launched next month.
As well as streaming all 13 stations in Mediacorp’s portfolio, listeners will be able to download and share songs – they can buy or rent the tracks – and also listen to playlists created by celebrities.
Moses Lye – Head, Youth Engagement said their first MeRadio app had been downloaded 1.4 million times (Singapore’s population is around 5 million) and has close to 400,000 unique visitors per month.
Several speakers stressed the importance that apps do more than just stream radio services.
Angie Man, Multimedia Editor at Hong Kong’s RTHK told delegates that while half of users in the territory stream live radio through the apps “it was essential to deliver other content to keep listeners engaged, – including news and sport, what’s on information and celebrity gossip,” she said.
RTHK has several apps including one called ‘Cube’ which aims to promote its niche programming including Jazz and Classical music.
Ben Jern Loh from Media Prima, which owns three national stations in Malaysia, said younger listeners were hungry for all kinds of content that radio didn’t normally deliver, including videos.
Their stations, Fly FM, Hot FM and One FM achieve an average of 6 million online listening hours per month, said Loh.
He reckons they can achieve huge numbers because the station “rewards its online followers and fans with exclusive social media contests and offers”.
Loh told delegates that Media Prima is testing a concept called interads where online listeners will be served different commercials to FM radio listeners.
The online ads can be tailored to relate with visual ads that are being shown simultaneously on the station’s website.
But there was a word of warning from Australia, where research showed the time spent listening on phones and the internet is still much lower than broadcast free-to-air radio.
“Even in mature markets, download costs, battery life and signal drop-out in mobile or wifi blackspots were still challenges facing the technology,” said Commercial Radio’s Joan Warner.