Radio Industry Trials Exciting New Device
The commercial radio industry in the UK is currently testing visual accompaniments to DAB radio over a new miniature device. The iRiver B20, a sleek set around the size of the palm of the hand, will be able to display high-resolution pictures and advertisements in a “slideshow” and is set to launch in the coming months.
Stations such as Virgin, XFM and Capital are currently adding visuals to their broadcasts during a three-month trial, which could broaden digital radio’s appeal by adding another dimension to it, as well as potentially boosting mobile television and providing a lucrative channel for advertisers.
Despite inevitable technical problems, the trial is apparently going well, with a lot of positive feedback, according to James Cridland, director of digital media at Virgin Radio.
The trial is more than just static pictures of bands, such as scrolling text of news and weather, songs and band information, as well as content about the radio station and its DJs, as well as some advertising content.
“All of the research that we’ve done [in relation to other visual accompaniments for radio] says that actually one of the most interesting things for people is knowing what songs are playing, being able to know a little bit more about the bands… [and] other things like news and weather and that sort of thing are very interesting to them,” he said.
“What we know from our research is that people stay with a radio station longer, they feel more attached to that radio station if that radio station is giving them the extra glance-ability they can get from a service like this.”
However, Cridland said he was not expecting consumers to use the device as a television, and that it was clearly not made for that. “What we’re very keen to do is to be able to offer people additional content when they want it, and we know that people really value that additional content as well as clearly it being, from a commercial point of view, an interesting place to be able to put commercial messages as well.
“On a mobile basis, people enjoy radio much more than they do television. What the trial of the original BT Movio Virgin Mobile Lobster phone showed was that radio ended up getting something like 50% more time spent listening with the radio on that device than watching TV on it.
“Yes, TV is pretty and it’s got nice pictures and everything else… but certainly what the consumers are saying so far is that they prefer when they’re mobile… that they would rather listen to the great variety that they get on the radio rather than attempting to watch TV. ”
Cridland admitted there was some initial interest from advertisers, with some companies already trialing their products via the slideshow.
“Is this somewhere to advertise on right now to get results?” he proposed. “I think the answer is no. But I think it is certainly something that advertisers have been very keen to be involved with, with both visuals on this type of device and visuals on the other ways that we broadcast radio as well.
“This isn’t the first time that we’ve added visual elements to radio anyway and we have a lot of positive feedback from some of the other services that we offer. This is interestingly different technically and clearly the receivers are beautiful and small and funky and everything else, so we so no reason why it shouldn’t be a major part of what we are doing in the future. ”
iRiver products with the slideshow function enabled are expected to be available in the UK in early April.
Virgin Radio: 020 7434 1215 www.virginradio.co.uk