Germany - Current situation - History
30.05.2013
Already by mid 2011 public and commercial broadcastersalike launched their digital radio services one nationwide andon nearly 30 regional and local multiplexes using the DABand DAB+ standard.
A marketing campaign in all media is being undertaken bybroadcasters and network operators. Therefore the initiative ‘Digitalradio Deutschland’ was founded by the commercialbroadcasters on the national multiplex (represented by DRDGmbH), the ARD group, Deutschlandradio and the network operator Media Broadcast. The goal is to coordinate the marketing initiatives of all stakeholders to foster the evolutionof digital radio in Germany by obtaining a reasonable market penetration by end of 2014.
Initiative Digital Radio Deutschland
Coordination with the device industry is carried out via the digital radio platform, organised by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). Five working groups were created to guide all areas of digital radio development and roll out, such as receiver/devices, data and traffic services, networks or advertisement.
29.01.2013
Already by mid 2011 public and commercial broadcastersalike launched their digital radio services one nationwide andon nearly 30 regional and local multiplexes using the DABand DAB+ standard.
A marketing campaign in all media is being undertaken bybroadcasters and network operators. Therefore the initiative‘Digitalradio Deutschland’ was founded by the commercialbroadcasters on the national multiplex (represented by DRDGmbH), the ARD group, Deutschlandradio and the networkoperator Media Broadcast. The goal is to coordinate themarketing initiatives of all stakeholders to foster the evolutionof digital radio in Germany by obtaining a reasonable marketpenetration by end of 2014.
Coordination with the device industry is carried out via thedigital radio platform, organised by the German FederalMinistry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). Five workinggroups were created to guide all areas of digital radiodevelopment and roll out, such as receiver/devices, data andtraffic services, networks or advertisement.
06.12.2012
On the 1st of August 2011 Germany launched broadcast digital radio services on a nationwide network using the DAB+ standard. Fourteen new stations from a football to rock, pop, classical, talk and Christian radio can now be heard across Germany. Both public and private stations are available on the nationwide network.
The German Digital Radio project office (Deutchsland Digital Radio) was created to co-ordinate the efforts of all stakeholders; the stations on the national multiplex, the regional public broadcasters (ARD) and Deutschland Radio (the national public station). Five Working Groups were created to guide all areas of digital radio development and rollout. Areas covered include: Networks, Products, Marketing and Advertising, Traffic & Travel and Automotive.
The network operator, Media Broadcast, has 27 transmitters on-air in the first stage covering all major cities and autobahns (motorways) and plans for coverage of up to 99% in some areas are due by 2014.
Alongside the national network funding was also given to the regional public broadcasters in each of the Bundeslander in Germany to launch digital radio on DAB+. To date each Bunderslander has now started to roll out networks or to allocate licenses to broadcasters for services on networks.
A marketing campaign in all media is being undertaken by broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers. This has been launched to inform the public and retail staff working in high street shops about the advantages of purchasing a digital radio. A digital radio education day was undertaken in January 2012 to inform retailers of the benefits of digital radio further initiatives are planned throughout the year.
Germany’s public service financing committee, the KEF, provided funding to facilitate the roll out of national DAB+ digital radio in Germany. The funds, which allowed public broadcaster Deutschland Radio, to build out a national digital radio network using DAB+ technology, were made available for the industry by the KEF.
It was announced in mid-2012 that 200,000 listeners tune into digital radio (DAB+) on at least one digital radio channel per day on an average weekday in the region of Bavaria. This was part of research carried out on The Bavarian regulator Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM) which gave a detailed analysis of digital radio services in Bavaria in its annual research programme Funkanalyse Bayern 2012 in cooperation with the Bavarian and national DAB providers. Further research is planned for 2013.
To read more on digital broadcasting in Germany;
The 'Meinungsbarometer Digitaler Rundfunk' or 'Opinion Barometer,' is a specialised information service for decision makers in Germany covering; media, policy, trade, industry and science. Please visit; http://www.digitalerrundfunk.de/front_content.php?idcat=21 to download a copy.