Virgin Radio To Launch On Freeview
Virgin Radio programming will be transmitted on Freeview after a multi-year deal was signed with AIM-traded interactive content and service provider, YooMedia.
Under the agreement, Virgin Radio will be available to over seven million homes in the UK with set-top boxes from Freeview, the UK’s Digital Terrestrial Television system.
YooMedia, which provides the bandwidth for the transmission of the station, will work together with Virgin Radio to jointly explore value-added interactive services for delivery alongside Virgin Radio programming.
Neil MacDonald, YooMedia’s group managing director, said: “With nearly 44 million people in the UK tuning in each week to various radio services, radio cannot be ignored.
“We are therefore delighted to be working with Virgin Radio to deliver some of the best available rock and pop content to millions of Freeview homes.”
CEO of Virgin Radio, Fru Hazlitt, added: “In order to achieve maximum growth it is critical that Virgin Radio is accessible across every available platform.
“This will extend our reach to millions of Freeview customers and is another example of our commitment to high-quality radio across multiple platforms.”
The Virgin Radio station will operate alongside YooMedia’s DTT datacasting service, which is provided to tvtv, a branch of Sony United Kingdom Ltd, Gemstar-TV Guide International and Electra Entertainment Limited.
The directors expect to deliver annualised incremental earnings in excess of £700,000 by the end of 2006 from the provision of DTT datacasting and other DTT services.
This will continue Virgin Radio’s already profitable year, which according to RAJAR figures in May, showed a 0.5% increase in weekly reach year on year (see Digital Stations Continue Audience Growth).
The deal with Freeview is a wise move for Virgin Radio, as recent reports from ZenithOptimedia have predicted the service will overtake Sky in the next few years, as Britain switches off the analogue signal (see Freeview To Overtake Sky In Analogue Switch-Off).
Virgin Radio: 020 7434 1215 www.virginradio.co.uk
Freeview: 08708 80 99 80 www.freeview.co.uk