NRK radio on mobile phones NRK launched radio apps for iPhone, Android, and Nokia phones in January 2010 to reach younger audiences consuming media on mobile devices. The apps were an immediate success, becoming the #1 app in iTunes and seeing over 80,000 downloads in the first week. Streaming through the apps has increased dramatically and is now nearly as popular as online radio. NRK aims to improve the apps and expand to other platforms like Symbian and Windows based on user behavior and demands.

1. NRK radio on mobile phones
Leif-Kjartan Bjørsvik, Head of Digital radio,
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK)

2. Why develop this service?
• Being where the audiences are
• Being present at all media plattforms. Staying in
tune wit changing media consumption
• Reaching younger audiences/consumers
• Increasing media consumption on mobile phones

3. Process
• NRK started working on the project in February
2009
• Develop ourselves?
• Cooperation/alliances with other broadcasters?
• Purchasing a finshed product?
• Descision in November 2009
• Launch 14. January 2010
• First broadcaster in Scandinavia with apps for both
iPhone, Nokia and Android

4. Added value
• Radio merging with nrk.no, weather services, trafic
services
• New services in the P3-app

6. ”Overdue, but excellent and completely free”

7. Response

8. Some statistics
• No 1 in iTunes 11 hours afther launch
• No 1 for over a week
• NRK radio: 54.500 downloads
• P3: 31.680 downloads
• Total: 86.180 downloads

9. Use
• Listening via streaming has increased dramatically
over the last 3-4 months
• During the previous two weeks there has been
almost as many users on streaming as on our
internet radio (70.000 and 80.000 users on a weekly
basis)
• Streaming service has been started more often than
the internet radio player (500 000 vs 400 000).

10. Improvements
• Favourites-button
• Sound quality
• Streaming stability
• Navigating within the webpages used in the app
• Statistics and analysis

11. Road ahead
• Symbian 5 (Nokia)
• Consider Windows

12. Moving on to television?

14. • Important to be where the audiences are
• NRK radio apps on mobile phones is a sucsess!
• Supplement to traditional broadcasting
• Improve marketing
• Consider more apps for other plattforms – based on
user behavior and demands

15. lkb@nrk.no
Twitter: @lkbjorsvik