Until recently, radio and television operated according to a simple formula: listeners adapted to the broadcaster. Today, this trend is clearly reversing. Users expect access to content here and now, at their own pace and on their own terms.
Streaming has taken over the dominant role in video consumption – in 2025, it overtook traditional television in terms of audience share for the first time. A similar process is taking place in audio content. More and more listeners are choosing podcasts, and especially younger audiences are moving away from traditional radio in favor of on-demand content. At the same time, digital audio is achieving record reach – up to 79% of users use it monthly. This is changing the way media is designed: instead of a single stream for everyone, many parallel paths are created, tailored to the user.
Underton Radio – a dynamic station without waiting
The model adopted by Underton Radio aligns with this change, but also interprets it in its own way. Instead of a traditional live stream, shows are published as the latest conversations available in a playlist format – users don’t have to tune in at a specific time – they can tune in at any time, and each listening session begins with a current, curated selection.
Random music plays between shows, making each listening session unique. The radio maintains the element of unpredictability known from traditional radio while retaining the flexibility typical of streaming platforms.
It’s a fusion of two worlds: the structure of radio and the freedom of on-demand.
Fragmentation and Personalization
Modern media operate under conditions of so-called audience fragmentation – users no longer consume a single, common message but are dispersed across various formats and platforms.
Furthermore, the role of algorithms and randomness in content discovery is growing. Increasingly, it’s not the schedule but rather selection mechanisms (playlists, recommendations, shuffles) that determine what reaches the audience. Underton Radio responds to this trend, but instead of handing over full control to the algorithm, it maintains the curatorial nature of the programs while introducing an element of randomness between them. The result is a hybrid: controlled selection and surprise.
Experience instead of format
The shift from “live” to on-demand doesn’t mean abandoning the idea of radio. Rather, it redefines its role. In the classic model, the value was the “live” presence. In the new model, it’s accessibility, context, and a continuous experience. At Underton Radio, we’re building a radio that doesn’t require planning your day around a show. Our radio allows you to access podcasts and music at any time. Internet radio already offers global reach, personalization, and on-demand listening – advantages that traditional FM can’t provide. At the same time, users are increasingly thinking in terms of “what I want to watch or listen to, and when.”
Underton Radio fits this trend perfectly, but instead of copying streaming platforms, it creates its own model: a radio station that is neither fully linear nor fully catalog-driven. We’re starting with content exclusively in Polish to focus on building a library in a single geographic area.
This isn’t a traditional station; it’s our new project, which we will gradually develop and inject into a new dynamic. Underton Radio is a continuous listening experience – different every time, and unique every time.
We invite you to listen and collaborate!
