In a world where media consumption is forever becoming more and more fragmented, the BBC and commercial radio businesses have come together to deliver a single internet-based radio player that aims to stream every Ofcom-licensed UK radio station in the country.

‘Radioplayer’, functions as a platform through which to “listen live” or “listen again” to a wide variety of radio stations including those owned by the BBC and the commercial sector.

Michael Hill, UK Radioplayer managing director, has spoken of the importance of ensuring the platform is continually updated, allowing users to enjoy the best experience possible. The interface has been kept simple to ensure a user friendly service and a client friendly platform; users can search for stations based on station name, location, a particular programme, a specific presenter, or topic of interest, for example ‘football’ or ‘rock music’. While the BBC are using the space around the player to cross promote its own content, commercial stations are using it to host new ad inventory. Advertisers displaying interest so far include the COI, Direct Line, Lexus and Reebok.

While RAJAR estimates that online platforms currently account for only 3% of all radio listening, the jury is out on whether Radioplayer will have an immediate impact on digital listening; Tim Davie, the BBC’s head of audio and music, referred to the player’s launch as a ‘quiet breakthrough’, while Clive Dickens, chief operating officer of Absolute Radio, is much more ambitious, stating that it could increase online listening by as much as 10% in its first year alone.

MEC Opinion: Initial thoughts from us at MEC on Radioplayer are on the whole very positive. We feel the player is clean, fresh and simple (essential in ensuring consumer trial and more importantly return visits) with an excellent search function. We would encourage further information and research from Radioplayer and the radio groups in terms of ensuring cut through of this desktop based tool – will users interact with the player above purely radio listening? We will have to wait until new RAJAR figures are released in May before we can see the first signs of Radioplayer and its effect, if any, on volume of online radio consumption.