Channel 4 goes for mobiles with DAB plug-in

Channel 4 is hoping mobile users can be persuaded to take up listening to DAB radio with the help of a new plug-in device, The Times reports, after the technology has struggled with take up.

According to the paper, Channel 4 is in discussions with electronics manufacturers to create a branded radio receiver that can be plugged into mobile phones or iPods and cost less than £20. The device could launch about the same time as the broadcaster’s E4 digital radio station, later this year.

Targeting mobile users for DAB isn’t a bad plan – plenty of people carry headphones or hands free kits with them, so why not a plug-in gizmo that will give them music to while away the long hours on their commute? That said, I think Channel 4 might be better off teaming up with an operator and bundling the devices for free with media-centric mobiles like Sony’s Walkman range – if Channel 4’s aiming for the youth market, even saving £20 could be the difference between teenagers taking up the service and not.