The commercial radio industry will join forces with the ABC and SBS to launch the first Aussie mobile app that will allow listeners to live stream more than 250 radio stations from across the nation.
RadioApp is set to launch in late November and will allow listeners to tune in live to Aussie commercial, ABC and SBS radio stations covering music, live sports, talk and news.
The app will also let people search radio stations by genre, name and location, while geo-location technology will recommend local stations by default.
RadioApp’s built-in alarm clock and sleep timer will let listeners to wake up and doze off to their nominated station. They will also be able to view ‘just played’ music playlists and purchase songs for the playlist.
Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) made the announcement at its National Radio Conference in Melbourne today as part of its strategy to make listening to radio on tablets, smartphones and computers easier.
“Listening habits are evolving and RadioApp will ensure radio remains easily accessible no matter what platform or device our listeners choose to use,” CRA chief executive Joan Warner said.
“While radio station and network-specific apps exist, this will put live and local Australian radio stations into one easy-to-access app, so listeners can see what’s playing on air and tune in wherever they are.”
The app is being developed by All in Media, which has created a range of mobile apps for customers across Europe and Australia, including Southern Cross Austereo, the ABC, Bauer Media and NOVA Entertainment.
Ms Warner said more features would be built in to the app in future stages, including the ability to subscribe to podcasts, social media integration and alerts for emergency services warnings.
“We operate in a highly competitive industry, so it’s great to have strong collaboration across both commercial and public broadcasters on a platform that will serve up live Australian content to radio listeners everywhere,” she said.
