2017 egta insight on radio aggregators

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I n d e p e n d e n t s e r v i c e t h a t
a g g r e g a t e s s t a t i o n s f r o m
s e v e r a l b r o a d c a s t e r s –
d e v i c e - d e p e n d e n t
A limited number of suppliers, including Pure,
Frontier Silicon, vTuner and Reciva, maintain or
implement Internet radio directory portals that are
solely or primarily designed for use in WiFi radios
and other connected devices. TuneIn also provides
this type of service in some devices, for example
Amazon’s Alexa-enabled family of wireless
speakers and Sonos HiFi systems.
Pure is a device manufacturer that offers a range
of hybrid (FM/DAB+/Internet) radios and wireless
speaker systems, as well as in-car DAB+ adaptors.
Internet radio services on the company’s devices
are powered by its Pure Connect portal, which
claims to offer access to more than 200,000 radio
stations and over 200,000 podcasts and radio
shows on-demand. Pure Connect is a re-branded
version of Frontier Silicon’s portal.
Frontier Silicon produces a range of hardware and
software products that can be found in many radio
devices. One of the longest established technology
companies in this field, Frontier Silicon’s modules
power radios from several brands, including
Roberts Radio, Goodmans, Revo and Sangean.
Frontier Silicon is partnered with vTuner for its
radio station database.
vTuner offers a white label Internet radio
aggregator service to device manufacturers and
other partners, including Bose, Denon, Samsung
and Audi.
Reciva Internet Radio was, until recently, a
leading provider of Internet radio aggregation for
device manufacturers. Following a succession of
acquisitions in 2014 and 2015, Reciva exited the
market, although its servers and its radio station
database are being maintained, the latter mainly
by volunteers.
broadcasters varies enormously. Services such
as TuneIn and (localised in Germany as
have considerable financial, human and
technical resources at their disposal, allowing
them to maintain updated directories and to offer
innovative features to listeners. Both of these
services offer both free and paid options, revenue
streams that complement their advertising
models.
TuneIn allows users to search for radio stations
by name or keywords, such as genre or location.
Searches return matching broadcast and online-
only radio stations, podcasts and radio shows.
Alternatively, users can browse for content by
location or genre, for example different music or
talk formats. Users can share or comment on audio
streams and bookmark favourite stations and
shows, when logged in. The TuneIn Radio app has a
Car Mode, featuring a simplified interface and large
buttons for the most commonly used features.
TuneIn Premium ($7.99 or $9.99, depending on
whether the subscription is purchased online or
through the app) offers listeners access to live
sports commentary from American Football,
Basketball and Major League Baseball games,
audiobooks, commercial-free music and language
learning. TuneIn also offers both a free mobile app,
TuneIn Radio, and a paid version, TuneIn Radio Pro
($14.99), that removes banner advertising and
allows users to record radio shows for a one-off
fee.
The PRIMEapp ($2.99) is also available
for a one-off payment. This version of the app
is free of video or audio banner advertising by
the aggregator, although it does not remove
any advertising served by the radio stations
themselves.