Astral Radio is reaching beyond the airwaves to connect with listeners. In an effort to engage audiences in a new way, it’s now delivering interactive online video on its radio stations’ websites.
The Canadian commercial broadcaster has teamed up with online video platform Brightcove to post videos on the websites of Astral Radio’s 83 station properties. These include VirginRadio.ca, EZRock.com and NewsTalk1010.com.
The online video content includes band interviews and performances, as well as footage from events the stations host. “Today, being a radio broadcaster involves more than just speaking into a microphone and playing music,” said Philippe Patrice, Astral Radio’s chief digital platforms officer. “We’ve evolved a lot with our digital strategy and Brightcove is a tool that will help us engage with our listeners. These clips will help show our listeners a different dimension of the stations’ work and what they’re doing in-studio.”
For example, singer/songwriter KT Tunstall recently performed in the studio at Virgin Radio in Vancouver and the video is now posted on the station’s site. “A performance like that will draw someone to the site and make them associate it with a really cool artist,” said Jeff Whatcott, Brightcove’s senior vice-president of marketing. “It makes people feel more loyal to the station on an ongoing basis.”
The video player on Astral Radio’s sites features buttons to share links via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. This social media sharing significantly increases the reach of the content and the brand on Facebook and other networks, said Whatcott.
While Brightcove research shows that most online videos today are discovered via search, Whatcott said there’s an accelerating trend of people finding video through social platforms. “Facebook referrals are the [second-most] popular way for people to discover video content, and Twitter follows that,” he said.
Videos on Astral’s radio station sites are available in English and French. The content will also soon be accessible through HTML5-compatible mobile and tablet devices.
