Absolute Radio is set to partner with European start–up AdsWizz to provide the technology to power the radio station’s new InStream Ads Service which will see the station offer improved targeting to a logged-in listenership through ‘full view’ gender, demographic and active location based data.

This groundbreaking service enhances the radio experience by merging opt-in privacy data with live online streaming and puts Absolute Radio at the forefront of digital innovation in the sector with the station setting out to ‘redefine radio’, with an event planned at the Houses of Parliament in January alongside the BBC, Facebook and featuring comedian and broadcaster Dave Gorman.

Absolute Radio is capturing the age, gender and active location of the station’s users and is also revealing that 80% of their current InStream ‘logged-in’ audiences are within the station’s core demographic of 25-54, with 65% of users being male. Users are being incentivized to share data by being offered a series of benefits including HQ audio streams, more music and more relevant commercial messages.

Absolute Radio ‘In Stream’ – using newly available technology – offers listeners via IP the opportunity to receive a better quality, contextual, visualized radio experience that’s more relevant to them, while advertisers gain an intimate level of access to our core audience. It combines the engaging entertainment of broadcast radio with the one-to-one commercial benefits of streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora.
By early next year, the station aims to have the service fully up and running with the ability to offer full targeting by location and demographic.

Speaking on the launch, Absolute Radio’s Director of Digital Sales James Wigley said “We’re excited to be the first brand, globally, to be using new technology to implement this method of InStream; we look forward to 2012 as we further develop the product and continue to redefine radio.”

Lead Applications Specialist at Absolute Radio, Ben Matthew, explained “We have spent a long time trying to find the right technology to implement our innovative ideas around targeted advertising and we found that the flexibility that Adswizz’s technology offered us was unparalleled in the market. We have been able to successful adapt their platform to suit our specific needs and create an online radio experience that isn’t just appealing to advertisers but sounds superb to our listeners.”