A new online radio channel that streams all 52 of Corus Entertainment’s national radio stations launches today on MySpace. The live streaming service allows users to integrate stations into their profiles, and will make it easier for social networkers to become familiar with Corus’s stations, says David Huszar, VP and GM, Corus Interactive and Integrated Solutions.
‘We are certainly finding that our audience online is growing monthly, quite significantly, and our hours of tuning are growing quite a bit month to month,’ Huszar tells MiC. Corus’s stations – which include popular Toronto-based rock channels 102.1 the Edge, and Q107 – have an audience of about 8 million according to BBM, and about 800,000 people per month tune in online. ‘This is just another way to make it more convenient for MySpace people to get more familiar with our stations,’ Huszar says.
The partnership benefits Corus’s advertisers through the extended hours of tuning and by reaching listeners on their own profiles, in their own space, Huszar explains. MySpace advertisers can sponsor certain sections of the site, or brand a particular station’s player, says Dave Stevens, MySpace Canada GM. ‘It’s really a unique way to be integrated into the music experience, not just with display advertising.’
Starting in May, a regular feature called Found on MySpace will be incorporated into Alan Cross’s nationally syndicated radio program The Ongoing History of New Music from ExploreMusic.com. Bands can submit their songs, and the top five will be placed on the site for visitors to vote on. The winner will then be highlighted on Cross’s show. Montreal-based StreamTheWorld is the tech-expert responsible for the MySpace and radio flash player integration.
