"Satellite radio enables us to overcome geography on a global scale. What it also enables us to do is customise content to best serve niche markets - groups of like-minded listeners and groups formed by common language or common culture. The path to breaking down those barriers is clear, and with satellite radio, doing so seems possible," continued Kovsky, who is senior analyst, digital industry, at Current Analysis.
When exploring the necessity of addressing niche market needs, experts focused on availability and variety. They also keyed in on the satellite radio opportunity to deliver a level of diversity unparalleled in mainstream terrestrial radio, thus creating a captive and appreciative audience.
According to Neil Curry, commissioner for BBC World Service English networks, BBC, "The beauty of satellite radio, especially on the international scale, is that you can offer programming that people want and need but that previously was unavailable to them. I love that I can listen to the quality of the BBC programming anywhere in the world, and there are people out there who want the same thing. Marketing to niches means they can get it."
"There are niche markets out there that desperately want to be served and are willing and able to pay for the content they are seeking," added Miles Copeland of the Copeland Group. "That's the great thing about satellite radio - you can create and offer up so many channels that it is possible to serve those previously underserved niches."
Worldspace delivers a combination of news, sports, music, and talk to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, currently broadcasting 62 channels - 32 of which are content provided by international, national and regional third parties and 30 WorldSpace-branded stations produced by or for WorldSpace. These stations represent some of the most popular and diverse international music and talk formats and include: Radio Amore (love songs), Farishta (retro Hindi film music), Gandharv (Hindustani classical music), Moksha (spiritual and inspirational compositions), Radio Tara (from traditional to today's Bengla pop), Play (India's first 24-hour sports station), and many others.
"The identification of niche audiences as key to the success of satellite radio is a concept that WorldSpace embraces fully," said William Sabatini, vice president of global content, WorldSpace. "Our production centres in the Washington, DC area, India, Singapore, Dubai, and Nairobi create content for 30 original music and lifestyle channels - all aimed at reaching these types of subscribers. We look forward to continuing to meet their needs by offering the highest quality and most diverse programming available."
In Africa, WorldSpace offers more than 40 different genres, including KwaZulu-Natal's East Coast Radio and Gauteng-based Jacaranda 94.2, as well as East FM, Kenya's Indian/Pakistani-focused radio station that is designed to reach South Asian expatriates.
