Irish Radioplayer to add 10 new stations

IRELAND’S independent radio stations are to add 10 new digital stations to the industry’s Radioplayer app.

The app is a joint venture between RTE and Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) and has been downloaded 275,000 times.

It is understood that an IBI steering committee overseeing the plan received 18 applications for proposed new stations for the service.

The committee will decide this week which stations will be given the go-ahead for slots on the platform.

Applications have come from both small local stations and larger commercial radio groups, industry sources said.

The opportunity is only open to stations already on the player and RTE has decided it will not add any new stations to the service.

It already has several niche digital stations on the player such as RTE Gold, RTE 2XM and RTE Radio Jr.

Given that 18 stations were proposed by operators, the steering committee may opt for a phase two of the process to allow other commercial broadcasters to develop and air alternative services. Sources said that stations would pay €3,000 to gain a place for an additional station on the service. As the service is a digital service, no licensing is required from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The Radioplayer was launched by RTE’s Nicky Byrne (pictured) in 2015 carrying 43 stations. The app has recently been upgraded to include additional function around catch-up radio and an on-air and online marketing campaign is currently underway. Other developments of the Irish Radioplayer this year include a launch on Sonos smart speakers and integration into the car platform SDL developed by Ford and adopted by other car companies, such as Toyota. The Irish Radioplayer is based on technology licensed by Radioplayer Worldwide, which is also used nationally in Germany, Canada, Belgium, Peru, Norway, Austria and its parent territory, the UK.