advertisement
FYI

Media Beat: December 16, 2019

Earlier in this column, we reported on the self-acknowledged success of Radioplayer in Cana

Media Beat: December 16, 2019

By David Farrell

Earlier in this column, we reported on the self-acknowledged success of Radioplayer in Canada. It stood to reason that we were going to hear from Bell Media, which has its own iHeartRadio app in the market.


We were right. Last week, Rob Farina, Head of Radio Content, Strategy and iHeartRadio, Bell Media Radio, fired back with the following…

I felt your story gave the reader the impression that Radioplayer Canada is being adopted by Canadians as their choice for streaming audio. It’s not.  We are currently clocking at over 20 million hours tuned monthly – compared to their 3.7. Even the Stingray app has more engagement then RadioPlayer Canada. The other factor – they got to 1M downloads in 3 years – we hit that within six months of launch and now have almost 3 million downloads in Canada. But downloads are a useless figure – you can get lots of downloads, but what matters is the engagement. How many apps have you downloaded and never used?  

advertisement

The attached chart should give you an accurate picture of where Canadian radio plays – and it’s on iHeart. Also – we have been onboarding Canadian broadcasters onto iHeart platform – Evanov, MyFM, Canadian Association of Community and Campus broadcasters, etc.

He tips us that two more “major broadcasters” are to be announced as part of the bandwidth of stations on offer through the iHeartRadio Canada app toot sweet.

So, it would seem, the iHeartRadio app is winning the race to date, but let's also take into account that the more the merrier adds to more radio audience engagement and that's a good thing.

advertisement
Cowboys Fringants
Cowboys Fringants
Cowboys Fringants
Chart Beat

Les Cowboys Fringants Debut ‘Merci ben!’ on the Billboard Canada AC Airplay Chart

The track from the Quebec band enters at No. 30 over a year after its release, picking up steam on the radio airwaves. Ariane Moffatt's “Jouer” also reaches a new peak, marking the second consecutive week with two charting French songs.

French-language music makes its mark on the Canadian charts this week.

Les Cowboys Fringants have made their latest Billboard debut with their song “Merci ben!” which arrives at No. 30 on the Canada AC chart for May 10. The country-folk track finds the band thanking its fans while reminiscing on its beginnings and milestones, from playing small bars to sold-out arenas. The track’s title is Quebec jargon for “Thank you very much!”

keep readingShow less
advertisement