In early 2013, we told you about NextRadio, a newly developing app that enables over-the-air listening to local FM radio on smartphones. This past August, we updated you on its industry progress and potential opportunities for direct response radio advertisers.
According to a survey by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the NextRadio technology has broad consumer appeal to all generations, including those hard-to-reach millennials. In fact, having been downloaded over 970,000 times in just 14 months, NextRadio has already proven itself to early adopters as the go-to for FM radio on smartphones.
And now, in a move that signals a potential boon for marketers, Sprint has released two pre-paid cell phones that include access to the NextRadio app. These phones, Moto G and Samsung Galaxy 4 Mini, are at different ends of the spectrum in terms of price and capability, which means that the app will be introduced to multiple demographics.
The NextRadio app can access an average of 3,200 stations each day, and, as a result, FM radio listening hours among users have already increased 22%.