Evropa 2 was the first commercial radio station in Czechia and has kept its position as an innovator 36 years later. It invests in music testing and new formats, and is strong on social media and at events. It is therefore among the radio stations with the most loyal listeners. Now Evropa 2 is launching a new mobile app and, as the first radio station in Czechia, offers the option to listen completely ad-free.
Charging for an app with no ads at all is standard practice. Premium features are nothing new. Yet Evropa 2 is the first radio station in Czechia to offer a paid version. And probably the only one that can afford to.
Evropa 2 has a strong community. The Evropa 2 mobile app is the most downloaded app among commercial radio stations, its events are packed across the country, and its presenters become celebrities. Evropa 2 keeps innovating while staying true to its brand and its fans. This exceptional position is what allows Evropa 2, as the first radio station in Czechia, to introduce a Premium version of the radio without ads. The Premium version of Evropa 2 costs CZK 79 per month, so that it is accessible to all fans.
New app
Alongside the Premium version, Evropa 2 is also launching a completely new mobile app. It features a new design that responds to current trends such as Apple’s Liquid Glass, and a new technical foundation for both native apps that makes it quick to implement changes and add new features. It also builds on earlier investments in the technology, such as the connection to its own music catalogue, which means that skipping tracks is not random but preserves the quality of the playlist, and the Message to the Radio feature, which lets listeners become part of the live broadcast. The app is now available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Curated content and careful programming
The aim of these novelties is not to compete with streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music. Radio offers a different kind of experience. While streaming platforms rely mainly on algorithms that recommend music based on past listening, radio is built on curated selection and human programming. Music programmers combine new releases, hits and unexpected discoveries, and often lead listeners out of their usual musical ‘bubble’.
Music market analyses point to the same thing. Streaming platforms now host hundreds of millions of tracks, and tens of thousands of new ones are added every day, so algorithms necessarily filter what actually reaches the listener. According to research from MIDiA Research, highly personalised playlists can also limit the discovery of new music.
Evropa 2 therefore does not intend to replace streaming or compete with it. It wants to offer a space for discovering music that combines modern technology with what radio does best: curation, exclusive content and a community around the brand. It has grown up on these pillars and has invested in them for more than three decades. That is why it can now combine the best of music players with the best of radio and offer a new kind of listening experience: radio without ads.
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