³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service stepped up the pace of future media development to win growing audiences as a multimedia broadcaster and content provider.
Arabic and Persian services led the way in executing ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service's multimedia strategy, bringing together audio, video and online for audiences.
Their redesigned websites highlight live television streaming and on-demand video content. They also make audio, text and interactive features easier to use, offering users a fully multimedia experience.
The year's highlights included the launch of six video channels on , new mobile applications and the roll-out of enhanced, state-of-the-art websites in several languages.
When you look at what World Service is doing with digital technology you can see, as well as you can hear what can be achieved... It is radio that leaps beyond the set."
Gillian Reynolds, Daily Telegraph
A growing number of partnerships with mobile operators and web portals made it easier for users to access the latest news and information.
"We need to accelerate our transition from a shortwave radio business into multimedia," says Jim Egan, Controller of Strategy and Business Development.
"The decline of shortwave is happening more rapidly. Our strategy is to offer the right mix of radio, TV, mobile and online depending on market conditions."
Broadband video content is now an integral part of sites in key languages. Embedded in the web pages, it forms part of the story, making it much easier to use.
"Video has really taken off this year and six languages now have it on their sites, which has increased video traffic eight- to ten-fold," says Sally Thompson, Managing Editor, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Future Media. "We are finding more and more different ways of reaching audiences who might not traditionally come to the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ."
The new video channels on YouTube make ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ news available in Arabic, Portuguese, Persian, Russian, Spanish and Urdu, joining ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News television in English.
It was the first multilanguage deal by a major international news broadcaster with the leading online video site.
Behind the scenes, future media development focused on a new content management system to produce and publish content to any website, including syndication to partner organisations and other platforms such as mobile devices.
"We are able to launch a new website in a much shorter period of time than ever before," says Mike Cronk, Controller, Future Media, Technology and Distribution. "That's important because it makes us much more agile in terms of the way we are able to respond to the marketplace."
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service programmes in English were launched on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer, making streamed and downloadable content available on demand.
More than 40 programmes in English, Russian, Mandarin, spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Persian are also available for download through the pan-³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ podcast service. There were more than six million podcast downloads in Joanuary 2009, of which more than 86% were requested from outside the UK.
Using the new system, websites are being transformed from a narrow format to a contemporary widescreen layout, 1,024 pixels wide. The wider format offers a greatly enhanced experience for users and allows journalists to present their content more effectively.
After 's site, the next to launch was , which has some 1.4 million unique users a week in a highly developed and competitive internet market.
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's site also has 1.4 million weekly users, representing a 174% increase on 2008. A new deal with MSN made text, video and audio content available on ten sites across Latin America in both languages.
In Russia, where FM partnerships are no longer possible, the internet offers a way to reach new audiences.
"The internet is a ‘free zone', as people call it now in Russia, and I think it is very important for us to be there," says Olexiy Solohubenko, Regional Executive Editor, Americas & Europe region. "The redesign of our has put us on a par with the best in Russia."
Faced with declining radio audiences, moved resources to strengthen online content, which is syndicated with Vietnamese partners. The internet audience is up 77% to nearly 320,000 unique users a week.
"We receive tens of thousands of emails every week," says Giang Nguyen, Head of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Vietnamese.
In China, was developed and is now syndicated by 24 partners. Traffic rose over the year by 57%, reaching nearly 90 million page impressions per month.
The site caters for young people interested in the UK as well as in studying, sport and celebrity news.
became the first site to offer international news content online in the Burmese font, which has until now presented difficulties for web software. The site was previously published in English only.
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Radio development was once again centred on FM relays in key markets, including Cameroon, Beirut, Gaza and the West Bank.
In Kenya, five new FM partners were secured in an important market.
In Bangladesh, the FM network was expanded from three to seven transmitters reaching more than 40% of the population.
Digital shortwave took a significant forward with the Digital Radio Mondiale consortium creating a new channel covering most of Europe with content that includes BBc World Service.
A new windfarm being constructed at the Ascension Island relay station will save up to £450,000 a year on oil as part of a bigger investment on Ascension that will deliver savings of £1.5m to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service.
It also means a reduction in CO2 emissions of 4,000 tons a year.
Going mobile
New mobile phone applications were launched in Hindi and Urdu, both of which use challenging fonts, on mobile devices. The applications enable users to download news content from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ websites.
Arabic extended its mobile internet availability. Nine mobile operators now offer Wap links through which users can download web content to their phones and hand-held devices.
Due to partnerships with the two biggest operators in Egypt, traffic to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arabic mobile sites has increased massively. SMS alerts were launched in four territories giving short messages about breaking news.
Nokia launched a new internet radio application making ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arabic and two streams of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service English programmes available on their latest mobile phone models. After two months, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arabic was the number one application (measured by the time people spend listening).
"We are in the top ten for both choice and length of listening because content matters," says Ruxandra Obreja, Controller, Business Development.
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Â© 2014 The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
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