talkSPORT ACHIEVES 2.9 MILLION LISTENERS
· 2.9 million listeners in total
· Listening hours grow to 19.2 – a quarter on quarter increase of 5%
· Record percentage of ABC1 and male listeners
talkSPORT, the world’s biggest sports radio station, has achieved 2.9 million listeners according to industry figures released by RAJAR today (16 May). The official industry figures cover the first quarter of the year from 31 December 2012 - 31 March 2013.
talkSPORT now reaches 2.4million men (83% of the total audience) and 59% of the total audience are ABC1 – the highest proportion of ABC1 listeners in the station’s history.
The figures also reveal that listeners are tuning in to talkSPORT for longer with the station’s hours reaching 19.2, a 5% increase from the previous quarter.
In London, talkSPORT’s listeners increased by 18% quarter on quarter and 6% year on year.
The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (6am – 10am) has achieved a 6.2% increase in listeners from the previous quarter and Keys and Gray (10am – 1pm) has seen a 7% quarter on quarter increase.
Liam Fisher, talkSPORT Programme Director, said: “The fact that people are listening longer to talkSPORT is testament to the work of our on-air and production teams who have made the station the home of live sport and breaking sports news. Last week, when Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement, talkSPORT was at the heart of the news throughout the day and we were the first to break the news of David Moyes’ appointment as the new Manchester United manager. This season has been our busiest ever with 130 live football commentaries and with live and exclusive coverage of the British and Irish Lions starting next month, we have no intention of slowing down over the summer.”
Calum Macaulay, talkSPORT Managing Director, said: “We’re attracting a record number of ABC1 male listeners which is reflected in the advertisers who have signed or re-signed with talkSPORT in 2013 including Ford, Heinz, Sky, Renault and Microsoft. As exclusive broadcasters of the Lions tour to Australia, the first time the event has been on UK commercial radio, we’re also very likely to be attracting new listeners to the station over the next couple of months. As we proved by winning a Sony Gold award for Best Competition on Monday for our work with Coca-Cola we’re in a position to be offering brands exciting and innovative content to reach our listeners on talkSPORT.”
talkSPORT is an official broadcaster of the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, England internationals, the Capital One Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby and is exclusive UK radio broadcaster of the 2013 British and Irish Lions rugby tour to Australia.
talkSPORT APPOINTS NEW SALES DIRECTOR
UTV Media (GB) can announce today the appointment of Adam Mills as the new Sales Director of talkSPORT and Sport magazine.
Mills has a career in the media sales industry that spans 25 years and joins talkSPORT and Sport magazine from MediaMountain Ltd where he was European Commercial Director. He has also held senior positions at Admedia Ltd and Carlton Screen Advertising reporting into the ITV Exec Board.
Calum Macaulay, Managing Director of talkSPORT and Sport magazine, said: “Adam brings a wealth of experience to the sales role. As talkSPORT continues to expand both in the UK and worldwide to offer sports content across multiple platforms, Adam is the perfect fit to lead our sales team in what’s sure to be an exciting and fast moving future. I look forward to having him on board.”
Adam Mills said: “Having watched talkSPORT’s growth over a number of years and its development into a global proposition, it is an exciting time to be joining such a successful outfit. With the station’s exclusive commentary of this summer’s Lions tour, and its new three year deal for live Barclays Premier League commentary from August, I can’t wait to get started.”
talkSPORT is the world’s biggest sports radio station with over 3 million listeners per week in the UK alone and is Global Audio Partner of the Premier League. The station is an official broadcaster of the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, England football internationals, the Capital One Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby and is the exclusive UK national radio broadcaster of the 2013 British and Irish Lions rugby tour to Australia. talkSPORT is available on 1089/1053AM, on digital radio, on mobile and online at talkSPORT.co.uk.
With a weekly print circulation of over 300,000, Sport is the biggest sport magazine in the UK and attracts a predominantly male ABC1 readership. It was the first mass distribution free magazine in the UK market when it launched in 2006, and is distributed by hand every Friday. Sport is also available to download for free for iPad, Kindle Fire and Android devices at www.sport-magazine.co.uk/apps.
talkSPORT launches international targeting by country with AdsWizz
talkSPORT is launching a new in-stream audio advertising platform which will allow the station to tailor adverts to its international listeners, based on where they are in the world.
Through a partnership with digital audio specialists AdsWizz, talkSPORT will be providing its international commercial partners with a powerful new tool to deliver geographically targeted campaigns to sports fans across all of the station’s internationally broadcast output.
Last year talkSPORT won the global audio rights to all Barclays Premier League football matches and fans outside of Europe now have unparalleled access to commentary of all 380 games each season in multiple languages including English, Spanish and Mandarin.
talkSPORT Live is talkSPORT’s global audio service which provides exclusive live commentary of every Barclays Premier League match and selected FA Cup and Capital One Cup matches for free to listeners outside of Europe. Advertisers will also be able to target international audiences for the UK’s leading sports radio shows such as The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Call Collymore and the Sony Award winning Keys and Gray show. talkSPORT already generates several million monthly listening sessions outside the UK across its internet and mobile platforms.
In what is believed to be a technological first, the new audio streaming platform will also be employed to deliver geographically targeted campaigns in real-time to talkSPORT’s network of international broadcast radio partners.
The new in-stream audio advertising platform has been developed by talkSPORT and its sister company Tibus alongside AdsWizz.
AdsWizz is an innovative provider of online audio and video advertising technology with offices in California and Europe. The company is becoming a leading global advertising solution provider to the digital audio sector, working closely with leading radio and audio brands in various markets around the world.
Calum Macaulay, Managing Director of talkSPORT said: “talkSPORT’s new in-stream audio advertising platform provides advertisers with a powerful new tool to reach sports fans around the world with territory specific campaigns. talkSPORT already works with some of the world’s leading brands, and now advertisers will be able to target talkSPORT’s rapidly growing international audience with the right messages in desired key territories.”
Patrick Roger, AdsWizz VP Sales & Marketing, said: “We are happy to count talkSPORT as one of our key international customers and look forward to helping monetize 100% of its non-UK audience. The beauty of our unique Online Audio Targeted Ad Insertion solution is that we can target sports fans around the world.”
talkSPORT and ADREP bring Barclays Premier League to China
talkSPORT have announced today that they have entered into a long-term collaboration to develop national sports radio marketing services in the People’s Republic of China. The agreement is with Adrep China Advertising Services Limited, an advertising sales, marketing and business support services company with offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
talkSPORT and ADREP will collaborate on a range of ventures within China, initially focused on providing live radio coverage of Barclays Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup football.
From the beginning of the 2013/14 football season in August, radio listeners in China will be able to hear live Mandarin commentary of matches between clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool via a network of radio stations in key Chinese provinces. ADREP and talkSPORT will also collaborate to distribute the commentaries via mobile apps, Chinese social media platforms and digital platforms.
talkSPORT and ADREP also intend to provide coverage of selected matches before the current football season ends in May as the coveted Premier League and FA Cup trophies are awarded.
talkSPORT already streams live Mandarin commentary outside China via talksport.com, mobile apps, TuneIn and Twitter as part of its talkSPORT Live service. talkSPORT’s Mandarin commentary team made history at the Capital One Cup final in February 2013, with the first ever live commentary in Mandarin from London’s Wembley Stadium.
ADREP was incorporated in February 2008 and successfully established an advertising representation business in China. ADREP is building a national radio advertising sales network under its proprietary brand “MY FM” in major cities throughout China. MY FM has achieved coverage in seven major markets, namely Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Urumqi, Xian, Changchun and Tianjin.
UTV Media plc Chief Executive John McCann said “The sheer scale of the Chinese market and popularity of Premier League football make China a key focus for talkSPORT’s global expansion. Through this collaboration with ADREP, talkSPORT can play a major role in the future development of Chinese sports radio services, providing advertisers with new platforms to connect with Chinese sports fans.”
talkSPORT Chief Executive Scott Taunton said “We look forward to working with ADREP to bring talkSPORT’s distinctive and passionate brand of live sports coverage to China. Radio is one of the best ways to follow your favourite team and our expert team of football commentators and analysts are sure to bring the drama of the Premier League to life for our Chinese listeners.”
Ken Wang, ADREP Executive Director, said, “Our partnership with talkSPORT enables us to bring unique and specific content to local Chinese radio stations and communities. Through the network of terrestrial based radio stations and via digital platforms, Chinese audiences will now be able to experience the excitement of the Premier League football like never before. In addition, this collaboration brings with it a ground-breaking opportunity for advertisers to be involved with the broadcasts.”
talkSPORT nominated in three categories for the Sony Radio Academy Awards 2013
Well done to talkSPORT, as the station has been nominated in three different categories for this year’s Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Judgement Sunday – The Final Day of the Premier League (Matchday Live) was the only nomination from a commercial station in the Best Live Event category, and in the year of the Olympics this is a fantastic achievement.
The Coca-cola Fan Reporter promotion is up for Best Competition, and Keys and Gray will fight it out with two offerings from BBC 5 Live, plus BBC Radio York and Rugby Nation for Best Sports Programme.
The winners will be announced on May 13 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, and the ceremony will be hosted by Chris Evans.
talkSPORT wins two Barclays Premier League packages
talkSPORT, the world’s biggest sports radio station, has bagged two Barclays Premier League packages for the next three football seasons, starting with 2013/14.
The deal means that talkSPORT will be the exclusive audio rights holders for the Saturday late and Sunday lunchtime matches.
talkSPORT will broadcast between 62 and 66 matches in total each season, with the opportunity to build on the unprecedented increase in audience that Premier League commentary has given the station over the past three years, when it first grabbed these rights from the BBC.
Since talkSPORT began broadcasting commentaries on these two timeslots three years ago, its reach in audience has rocketed from 2.5m to 3.0m adults. Now, after establishing 5.30pm on Saturday and 1.30pm on Sunday as appointments to listen on talkSPORT, the next three years will be spent on building on that growth both in audience and in commercial terms.
After securing the Barclays Premier League audio rights outside Europe in 2012, talkSPORT has built international studios and now broadcasts every Premier League match live across the world, as well as several key FA Cup and Capital One Cup fixtures.
The station has also invested significantly in UK sports commentary rights this year, with the growing roster now including the FA Cup, England football internationals, Capital One Cup, the Aviva Premiership and also the exclusive UK radio rights to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in June. There is also the exciting prospect of coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
talkSPORT Chief Executive, Scott Taunton, said: “We’re really pleased to have secured these two Barclays Premier League packages, as it puts us in a firm position to build on our past success and drive the business forward.
“Over the past six years, we have established ourselves as a major player in providing exciting, energetic and distinctive Premier League commentary. We have proved that we are providing what people want – and now, with the extra rights we have secured already and with a firm policy to continue investing in sports rights, we can move forward to gain recognition as a bigger player not just with the Premier League but across the board.”
“Live football is an integral part of what talkSPORT does best and we’ve seen phenomenal growth in audience and a growing interest from advertisers.”
John McCann, Group Chief Executive UTV Media plc, said: “Investment in sports rights is a key way for us to expand the business, and this latest development will provide a significant step change in terms of listener and advertiser perceptions of the station, as well as strengthening the value for shareholders.”
talkSPORT agrees Channel 4 Grand National partnership
talkSPORT has signed an agreement, through OMD, with Channel 4 to promote the channel as the official broadcaster of the Grand National.
The multiplatform campaign will run on air on talkSPORT and in the station’s sister publication Sport magazine in the build up to Channel 4’s exclusive TV coverage of the world’s biggest steeplechase at Aintree on Saturday 6 April.
talkSPORT will use key figures from the world of National Hunt racing to bring the race to life with a Channel 4 branded audio guide. Leading listeners through the course it will communicate the dedication and fearlessness it takes to be a top jump jockey. This will run across talkSPORT on air in the build up to the Grand National.
On the day of the race Weekend Sports Breakfast will contain branded Channel 4 interviews and bespoke editorial features throughout the build up to the race. Sport magazine will contain interactive Channel 4 branded content and advertising in its Grand National issue on Friday 5 April.
Kel Murphy, talkSPORT Creative Solutions Account Manager says: “talkSPORT presenters including Micky Quinn and Alan Brazil are known for their love of racing and are sure to bring their passion for the Grand National to listeners. I’m delighted that Channel 4 will be partnering with us to promote their TV coverage of an iconic event.”
James Walker, Channel 4 Head of Marketing said: “At Channel 4, we’re thrilled to be partnering with talkSPORT to support the Grand National. The campaign aims to highlight the skill, intensity and sheer drive that comes with being at the top of this sport.”
Liam Fisher Appointed New talkSPORT Programme Director
talkSPORT has announced today that Liam Fisher will be the company’s new Programme Director. Fisher has been with the company since 2000 most recently as Head of Production.
Calum Macaulay, Managing Director for talkSPORT said, “Liam knows the business inside out and has been a major part of driving the station to record audiences over the last few years. He knows the talent. He knows the audience. And he knows what makes them tick. He’s got great ideas and I’m confident that he will lead the station’s output to the next level.”
Liam Fisher said: “Over the past 13 years I’ve seen talkSPORT grow into the award-winning, 24 hour global sports station that it is today. To be the station’s Programme Director is one of the biggest jobs in sport and I’m really excited about our live sports coverage, including our exclusive commentary of this summer’s British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia, the incredible broadcasting talent that we have and working with our superb on-air, digital and commercial teams.”
talkSPORT broadcasts 100th live football commentary of the season
Bayern Munich v Arsenal, Wednesday 13 March, 7pm
Tomorrow (13 March) talkSPORT will broadcast its 100th live football commentary of the 2012 /2013 season in the UK, making it the busiest season for live football in the station’s history. Arsenal will face Bayern Munich to keep British Champions League hopes alive from 7pm and talkSPORT will have every kick live.
talkSPORT now broadcasts more live sport than ever before, having added FA Cup, England internationals Capital One Cup coverage to its Champions League, Europa League and Barclays Premier League commentary this season.
Since the start of the season talkSPORT has conveyed the passion, excitement and drama across all competitions. Highlights of talkSPORT’s live commentary have included the nine-goal thriller that saw Chelsea defeat Manchester United in the Capital One Cup, the Sweden v England match with Ibrahimovic’s sensational bicycle kick goal, the historic FA Cup match between MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon, the Barclays Premier League clash that saw Arsenal put seven goals past Newcastle’s defence and the Capital One Cup final.
The station’s live commentary team includes Stan Collymore, Sam Matterface, Andy Gray, Ray Houghton, Ray Parlour, Michael Gray and Nigel Adderley. talkSPORT’s exclusive Barclays Premier League commentaries are sponsored by Sky Sports, FA Cup title sponsor Budweiser sponsors the station’s coverage of the tournament, Ford continues its longstanding sponsorship of talkSPORT’s Champions League coverage and League Cup title sponsors Capital One are also sponsors of the station’s Capital One Cup commentary.
There’s lots more action still to come with talkSPORT’s coverage of the climax to the Barclays Premier League season, the FA Cup final, Championship playoffs and the Champions League and Europa League finals.
