Interstitials are going away – The next generation Radioplayer console will no longer support interstitials. If you are using this ad format, we recommend you migrate to alternatives such as in-console display advertising or VAST video advertising
The Radioplayer console has been built with monetisation in mind, providing you with a number of opportunities to create a revenue stream from your online listeners.
Song actions
If you’re sending now-playing song information to Radioplayer, you can now make that metadata work harder. In the web console, we can show an action in the ticker when a song is playing. For stations seeking revenue, this opens the door to offering a music ‘click-to-buy’ service.
A station can sign up for a music store affiliate account (Amazon, iTunes, 7digital or similar) and will be given an affiliate URL. We can take that URL and append the current track details to it, giving users direct access to the product page on the music store site where they can complete their purchase.
Useful links
Set-up advice – including other uses for song actions
Overlays
The Radioplayer console provides a useful content (plugin) space which lets station show branding, visuals or other station/programme related information. However, sometimes it is desirable to replace this area with a sponsored message or advert. Whilst, of course, this is possible in JavaScript – hiding layers and so forth, we’ve made it much easier to take over this space and temporarily replace it with something else.
An Overlay is a panel of content which can slide down and obscure the content (plugin) space. It’s great for showing a pre-roll video ad. If you wish, you can even activate it mid-stream too. Much like the Interstitial, it can be a page of any markup you wish but it’s important to include a close button, so that a user can shut the overlay themselves if they wish.
There is no capping on the number of times that the Overlay is shown. If a station configures one in their station control panel, it will be shown every single time the console is launched.
Useful links
Set-up advice – everything you need to know.
Interstitials
Radioplayer offers a new ‘console takeover’ ad unit which will display an advert at the start of a users’ Radioplayer experience when they visit your station site. It means that someone can click Listen Live on your homepage, see an advert in the Radioplayer console window then get taken to the main console – and your stream. The console takeover (correctly known as an Interstitial) is a remarkably flexible ad unit: it’s just a page of markup so you can literally have anything you like in that area so long as it fits the size of the console. Want to show a video? No problem! Want to run an interactive ad? A mini-game? Be our guest.
So as not to overwhelm users, there are some simple business rules that control when people will see your ad unit. If a listener launches your console from your website, and you’re running an Interstitial, it will be shown one per browsing session. If a listener finds your station via Radioplayer Search, Radioplayer Recommendations or Radioplayer Presets (in other words, they navigate sideways from another console), your ad unit won’t be shown. No one wants to roadblock a user.
Useful links
Set-up advice – the steps explained
Ad network support
The V3 console now supports two popular ad networks – AdsWizz and Triton. These networks allow for the insertion of audio adverts into your linear broadcast stream, synched with visuals in the console. So, for example, a listener could hear an in-stream ad for a double-glazing company and a matching display ad is automatically displayed in the console at the same time.
To join one of these networks, you will need to approach them directly and establish a relationship. Then, once those formalities have been completed, drop us a line (see contacts on the right) as we now have specially modified reference consoles which support the technology. We can provide you with a zip file of these consoles which you can customise and upload to your site. You will need the services of a middleweight or senior web developer for this. It is not currently possible to use the Console Generator in the Station Control Panel to auto-generate a branded console.
Useful links
AdsWizz – the Radioplayer AdsWizz console supports their AIS technology which allows for in-stream ads with synchronised visuals
Triton Digital – the Radioplayer Triton console supports their proprietary flash player (HTML5 audio not supported)