4Digital Group Wins UK Digital Radio Licence

Channel 4 have won their bid to broadcast 10 new national digital radio stations, the media regulator Ofcom has announced. A large amount of their output is destined for podcast. The new service will provide podcasts from at least nine providers, expected to include the Financial Times newspaper, Sky News, publisher EMAP, Virgin Radio, Walt Disney and the Carphone Warehouse, and include services specifically for mobile phones.

This is a major success for the terrestrial UK broadcaster which had staked a lot on winning the bid and moving into radio. Like the BBC, Channel 4 has a core public service remit, although unlike the BBC their revenue is derived from sponsorship and advertising.