Monthly users of the Radiko Internet radio broadcasting service topped 10 million for the first time in April, its operator said.

A total of 10.46 million listeners used the service that offers simultaneous broadcasts of radio programs over the Internet in April, Radiko Co. said Monday.

The service has been growing in popularity since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which generated renewed interest in radio as a means of collecting information during disasters.

Listeners rose to about 7 million in April 2011 from 4 million two months before.

The spread of smartphones, which can access the service, has also boosted its popularity, the company said.

Radiko started the service in March 2010. It currently is teamed up with 65 broadcasters across the country and the Open University of Japan, streaming their programs online simultaneously with ground-based broadcasts.

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