LO2: Multiplatform distribution

Platforms that Heart broadcast too are very varied to target their mass audience, Heart is a national commercial channel and with a weekly listener count of 4.6 million, they need to broadcast to a huge range of different distribution channels. 

Heart has an app format, this is demonstrated above and is ran by a conglomerate company called GlobalPlayer, this company also owns stations such as Capital FM, Radio X and Classic FM, because of this huge ownership of national radios GlobalPlayer all these stations are combined on the Heart app and can be accessed this maximising the listenership for all stations.

By having an app for the radio to be accessed by it encourages this technological convergence culture that attracts younger audience members due to the digital nature.

The app also has a schedule for all stations as well as incorporating 'Showbiz News', this element of the app incorporates a more magazine element to the app allowing a surveillance aspect to the show that can be ingested quicker than listening to the station. 

Headings that are included in the showbiz news section are; Royals, Parenting, Beauty and Lifestyle, this demonstrating perfectly what the demographic of the target audience is.

As well as app access Heart can also be accessed on both digital and analogue radio, this being on the frequency of 100.7, the very rememberable tuning number is due to the mass audience and encouraging them to tune into the first number they remember. 

However Heart publishing that their target audience being 25-44 means that a large proportion of the audience will tune into the station on their commuting journey through DAB/FM radio therefore its important that the tuning number is made part of the brand image to make it stick as part of the station. 

Another distribution that is less known is on TV, Heart have a TV channel which plays broadcasted radio, by having so many varied distribution channels it increases the likelihood of people listening to the station.

By having such a huge array of multiplatform to broadcast to it allows average hours and reach to increase due convergence and this is displayed in the two RAJAR measurements below, in the 1999 statistics that demonstrate listenership before technological convergence it emphasis' the lack of reach and total hours, this could be explained by radio not being available on the go like it is with technological convergence and app distribution which would definitely explain the boost in hours listened.