Talpa is cutting back on the JUKE audio platform: podcasts and many radio channels are gone

JUKE, Talpa Network’s streaming service, is being significantly cut back. It is no longer possible to listen to podcasts in the app and the number of radio stations has also shrunk considerably. Of the more than a thousand radio stations, only Radio 538, Radio 10, Sky Radio, Radio Veronica, SLAM! and listen to 100% NL. My Juke, in which users can save their favorite radio stations, will soon no longer be available.

Talpa introduced JUKE seven years ago. The audio platform was supposed to be Spotify’s competitor, but never really got off the ground. “We noticed that JUKE was mainly used as a radio site and therefore decided to have the podcasts hosted by other services,” a Talpa spokesperson said when asked.

Limited number of channels

The radio stations that can still be listened to via the JUKE app are almost all owned by Talpa itself or by Mediahuis (owner of Radio Veronica and 100% NL, among others). Talpa says in a response: “The range of more than a thousand channels has been reduced to the most listened to stations via the platform. This allows us to better meet the wishes of our users.”

In 2019, two years after the launch of JUKE, MediaMarkt left the partnership and stopped paying subscriptions. The number of customers who had money to spare for the service turned out to be disappointing.

Photo: Radio Freak