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Publishers’ new audio product targets mobile phones and keeping the money
"pretty much that simple"

Vaunted publisher New York Times Company (NYT) is experimenting with an audio platform. It is called, obviously, New York Times Audio and will contain podcasts and other audio-based content. They are looking for volunteers to check it out, said NYT VP Audio and TV Stephanie Preiss to Adweek (October 12).

“We have thousands of things we want to learn and test, but they share a common theme, which is: ‘Have we created something that people are returning to?’ It’s pretty much that simple,” she said. “We have all these hypotheses about what’s going to make them do that, but the main thing is whether or not the value is clear to them.”

Clearly this is about disintermediation, the multisyllabic for getting rid of the middle man. Why, they seem to be asking, let all those NYT reporters post their podcasts and other verbal contributions to Spotify, Apple or Amazon? Last year the NYT acquired Audm, a provider of article narrations from distinguished publications like the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Mother Jones. The publisher also acquired acquired Serial Productions, producer of the iconic podcast Serial, and complete a cooperation agreement with the producers of popular public radio series ‘This American Life’. (See more about podcasts and podcasting here)

“We hope this becomes a hub of audio journalism,” said NYT assistant managing editor Sam Dolnik to Bloomberg (October 12). At the moment there is no paywall for this experiment though advertising is a distinct possibliity. About 8 million folks subscribe to various NYT products, including news and recipes. As with other publishers, the take-up of new subscribers has fallen this year. An audio app is tailor-made for those attached to mobile phones.

Digital radio network lines the highways
breathe deep

With the completion of a major infrastructure project French radio broadcasters now have access to a national DAB+ multiplex system. The metropolitan areas of Paris, Lyon and Marseilles and, most importantly, along the connecting highways are dotted with DAB+ gear to distribute 25 radio channels. In addition, local DAB+ multiplexes are now available in and around Avignon, Dijon and Toulon.

“DAB +, a digital radio broadcasting technology that is now expanding across Europe, marks the entry into a new phase of radio media's history,” said French media regulator Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) president Roch-Olivier Maistre in a statement (October 11). “It has multiple advantages for listeners, both in terms of sound quality and comfort, as well as the enrichment of the offer.” The CSA has promised that 50% of the French population will be covered by a DAB+ multiplex. (See more about digital radio)

Most of the 25 channels available along the 2,000 Km expanse from Paris, through Lyon and on to Marseilles are privately-owned national channels already found on the FM broadcast band, the internet or mobile phone apps: BFM Business, Chérie FM, Europe 1, Fun Radio, Latina, M Radio, Nostalgie, NRJ, Radio Classique, Rire et Chansons , RFM, RMC, RTL, RTL 2, Skyrock and Virgin Radio. Six channels of public broadcaster Radio France also appear: FIP, France Culture, France Info, France Inter, France Musique and Mouv’. (See more about media in France here)

Three channels are brand new to the airwaves: AirZen, Skyrock Klassiks and BFM Radio. While Skyrock Klassiks and BFM Radio are brand extensions of Skyrock and BFM, respectively, AirZen is totally new, explained project founder Anne-Marie de Couvreur to actuLyon (October 12). The mostly speech channel focuses on well-being, organic food and ecology. Early promotion of the DAB/DAB+ digital standard promised many new channels would be offered.

Broadcasting groups in a twist about Alexa and Siri
another paradigm shift

The European Commission is set to approve a new set of rules next year or the next: the Digital Markets Act. It is a companion to the Digital Services Act, together meant to blunt the reach in Europe of US technology companies, referred to as “gatekeepers.” Chinese tech firms have been recently added, sometimes. These are major updates to e-commerce rules adopted in 2000, just as Netflix was getting started.

The Digital Markets Act, as drafted, tackles data issues; from collecting to using and selling. The practice of bundling services within a “gatekeeper” business receives considerable attention as it has in certain national competition laws. The objective is placing limits on tech company’s outside their “core platform services.” In other words, a search engine should be a search engine and not an advertising company nor a newspaper. The current draft does not include an explicit reference to smart speakers. (See more about the European Commission here)

As the Digital Markets Act takes shape within the European Commission and the European Parliament stakeholders in the broad debate have been making known their views and expectations. Last week European public broadcasting trade body - European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - and private-sector radio broadcasting lobbyist - Association of European Radios (AER) - commemorated their desires for Alexa, Siri and any other voice-activated devices or smart speakers. The were joined by the European Digital Radio Alliance (EDRA), lobbyist for digital radio (DAB+) technology. (See more about digital radio here)

“A limited number of platform gatekeepers enjoy significant market power and can use this power to engage in anti-competitive practices such as self-preferencing, restricting access to data, using data from third party services to develop their own services, and inserting publicity without permission,” said the joint statement (October 8). “Traditionally associated with smart speakers, voice assistants have now been adopted in environments where physical keyboards are absent, (such as) on smartphones or in the car via their integration into infotainment operating systems. Access to broadcasters’ content via voice assistants is an important paradigm shift that will radically change our relationship with listeners. With the adoption of voice assistants in the home, the car, on smartphones and tablets, access to audio and radio content will become increasingly intermediated by voice assistant providers, which will impact content transmission and users’ freedom of choice.”

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