Digital Radio for Ireland: Competing Options, Public Expectations - BCI

The
variety
of
listening
options
available
on
the
internet
is
staggering.
Until
recently
however
access
was
limited
to
those
of
a
reasonable
technical
proficiency
and
had
to
be
undertaken
at
a
computer
terminal.
The
development
of
Wi‐Fi
and
associated
receivers
has
now
put
the
internet
radio
firmly
on
the
kitchen
table
and
in
direct
competition
with
the
standard
FM
radio.
Irish
listeners
can
now
access
unlimited
music
genre
stations
playing
whatever
they
want
to
listen
to
‐
without
20%
speech
content
rules.
The
poor
broadband
service
penetration
in
this
country
has
hindered
the
take‐up
of
Wi‐Fi
receivers,
but
as
technology
and
access
develops,
internet
radio
will
become
more
of
a
threat
to
Irish
terrestrial
broadcasts.
[Dublin Rock Radio Limited - Phantom 105.2]
While
most
of
the
radio
operators
surveyed
measure
their
online
audiences
through
their
websites,
none
has
measured
any
potential
shift
in
radio
listening
from
linear
to
non
linear;
through
listen
again,
downloads
or
podcast
facilities.
Fig
1.15:
Measurement
of
Online
Audiences
Fig
1.16:
Shift
to
Non‐Linear
Listening
When
asked
about
how
digital
or
online
radio
services
are
being
funded
most
say
the
activities
are
being
 funded
 through
 marketing
 budgets.
 RTE’s
 digital
 and
 online
 radio
 services
 are
 being
 funded
from
the
combined
of
TV
licence
fee
and
broadcasting
commercial
revenue
but
in
most
other
sectors
40