Radioplayer to help power hybrid radio

By James Cridland for media.info
Posted 20 July 2015, 11.25am bst

Radioplayer, the joint venture between the BBC and commercial radio, has announced that it is helping its 430 member stations prepare for a hybrid radio future.

Radioplayer has launched a new 'hybrid adaptor', a free software service for all Radioplayer member stations, to improve their visual impact on hybrid radio receivers.

Listeners with hybrid radios (which combine DAB and FM with extra features powered by the internet) will see colourful logos and programme information on their radio screens. Radioplayer uses existing data and images held for each station, and is formatting data in the RadioDNS hybrid radio format.

The BBC will also provide hybrid information for all their stations shortly, joining Global (owners of stations including Capital, Heart, LBC and Classic FM), who have been publishing the additional visual data for listeners since 2013.

The coordinated industry approach means that more than 90% of the live radio consumed in the UK will shortly be compatible with the latest hybrid radio technology. Any radio that supports the international RadioDNS Hybrid Radio standard, will now display logos and extra information for those stations.

Radio stations can leave it to Radioplayer to provide this hybrid radio data, or, through RadioDNS's ETSI-ratified standards, can host this data for themselves. The data also includes tuning information for advanced radio receivers currently in development, including Radioplayer's forthcoming car adaptor.

Michael Hill, Managing Director of Radioplayer said: “This is a huge leap forward for hybrid radio – not just in the UK, but around the world. As more and more stations embrace hybrid radio, more and more manufacturers will build great radios for cars and kitchens. We’re proud to have played a part in establishing this virtuous circle”.

The RadioDNS Hybrid Radio standard is an open international technology that links broadcast radio with the internet. It allows manufacturers to build better-looking, more interactive radios – helping stations connect better with their listeners.

RadioDNS launched ‘Project Logo’ earlier this year, an initiative aimed at boosting the number of hybrid-compatible radio stations around the world.

Radioplayer invented its ‘hybrid adaptor’ software service in response to this, and through Radioplayer Worldwide, will now offer it to other countries which use the Radioplayer system – including Germany, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, and Norway.

Radio receivers incorporating RadioDNS technology are available from companies like Revo and Samsung, and RadioDNS is incorporated into some Frontier Silicon chipsets.