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News |  30 Apr 2009 10:56 |  By ITV

BBC and radio rivals join forces to digitise radio

MUMBAI: In a first of its kind joint venture, BBC will join forces with commercial radio operators like GMG, Global Radio and Bauer Media as well as RadioCentre to form a new Radio Council to promote digital radio.

The Council will develop initiatives between the BBC and the private sector to try to fuel uptake of digital which currently accounts for 18.3 per cent of listening. The first project the group will work on will be the development of an online radio player similar to the BBC iPlayer which will stream all live radio stations in the country via the same online platform.

A common standard, known as 'Radio Plus,' that will allow listeners to record shows in a similar manner to Sky Plus, will also be developed.

A big challenge for the Radio Council will be to increase listening to digital audio broadcasting (DAB). Less than 30 per cent of adults supposedly own a DAB set but the medium accounts for only 11.4 per cent of listening and commercial operators have been seen struggling to get returns.

The Council would liaise with Communications Minister Lord Carter of Barnes to appoint a chief executive for the Digital Radio Delivery Group promised in his interim Digital Britain report to promote DAB and work towards analogue switch-off.

Commenting on the coming together of rival forces,the first chaiman of the Council Tim Davie said, "The partnership between the BBC and Commercial Radio is crucial to the future of the medium. Radio is unique and much-loved, but the media environment is changing and we have to work together to make sure it remains as popular and relevant as ever."

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