United Kingdom - Automotive - History
15.06.2016
Over 82% of new cars now have DAB digital radio as standard. The latest data from industry analysts CAP and The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for Q1 2016 shows that the number of new cars fitted with digital radio as standard grew to 82.1%.
This is the second biggest quarterly increase since monitoring began in 2010. In 2015, a total of 1.9 million cars were sold with DAB as standard, accounting for 71% of the year’s record annual total sales of 2.6 million. The big shift to digital radio in cars has accelerated in the last 2 years, delivered by the leading car manufacturers, and now all of the top 10 new car models have digital radio fitted as standard.
According to RAJAR Q1 2016 data digital listening in car grew by 32.5% to 21.2% of all listening (from 16% in Q1 2015), boosted by growth in new cars being fitted with digital radio as standard to over 82.1% in Q1 2016 [Source: CAP/SMMT].
With over 35 million cars on the road, the challenge (and opportunity) remains in the aftermarket. Digital Radio UK is working with the industry to support the growing aftermarket with consistent media and in-store promotional campaigns. As of January 2016, over 6.5 million cars on the road in the UK are able to receive digital radio. In the year 2015 almost 1.9 million new cars were registered with digital radio as standard and it is projected that in 2016 over 2.2 million cars will be sold with digital radio as standard. All new cars in the UK fitted with DAB are also DAB+ compatible which is important given the launch of 3 DAB+ services on the new Sound Digital DAB network – Jazz FM, Fun Kids and Magic Chilled – and with more expected to come.
RAC launches digital radio installation service
The RAC is a vehicle repair and recovery service in the UK. They are the first repair group to launch an online digital radio installation service with fully fitted adapters from £149.99 [see here]. There are currently two products available, the AutoDAB Connect (£149.99 fitted) and the JustDRIVE DAB (£219.99 fitted) - both tick mark approved.
Digital Radio UK – Digital Dashboard Audit
Drivers love digital radio in cars, and DAB digital radio is increasingly becoming the norm; 82.1% of new cars in the UK now come with DAB as standard. However, the introduction of connected cars and changes to digital dashboards could affect the ability of drivers to access broadcast radio. Digital Radio UK has conducted a Digital Dashboard Audit to find out if radio is still prominent on dashboards and assess the implications of connectivity on the user experience. Read the full report here.
Service Following
Alongside the launch of the Digital Radio Certification Mark; Arqiva, Global Radio and Digital Radio UK have rolled out service following for Global Radio to all those ensembles carrying Global Radio services – Capital, Heart, XFM, Gold and Classic FM. This is a significant milestone for the industry and comes after three years of trials. Service following is required as part of the Minimum Specification for in-vehicle products, therefore this test route will be useful for manufacturers to test their products. For more information contact Sam Bonham, Technology Development Manager, Digital Radio UK sam.bonham@digitalradiouk.com.
AA Member Research: digital radio satisfaction high in car
- The AA fielded a piece of online research into digital radio in cars and received a creditable 29,000 responses.
- The survey found that 91% of drivers listen to broadcast radio in their car, 22% of all drivers have digital radio in their car and 86% of drivers were highly satisfied with their digital radio.
- Most drivers without digital radio were not considering buying an adapter but were either waiting to buy a new car or for the switch-off of the FM services.
- There is clear price resistance to buying car adapters. 53% of drivers without digital radio would consider buying a car adapter, but only if the price was under £100. 4% would pay over £100 and 43% would not buy an adapter.
- 51% of drivers were aware of radio switchover. Internal research conducted by broadcasters indicates that most people think radio switchover will happen in the next 5-10 years.
- The research confirms the high level of consumer satisfaction with digital radio in cars and highlights the importance of having more affordable adapters available.
19.05.2016
Over 82% of new cars now have DAB digital radio as standard. The latest data from industry analysts CAP and The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for Q1 2016 shows that the number of new cars fitted with digital radio as standard grew to 82.1%.
This is the second biggest quarterly increase since monitoring began in 2010. In 2015, a total of 1.9 million cars were sold with DAB as standard, accounting for 71% of the year’s record annual total sales of 2.6 million. The big shift to digital radio in cars has accelerated in the last 2 years, delivered by the leading car manufacturers, and now all of the top 10 new car models have digital radio fitted as standard.
According to RAJAR Q1 2016 data digital listening in car grew by 32.5% to 21.2% of all listening (from 16% in Q1 2015), boosted by growth in new cars being fitted with digital radio as standard to over 82.1% in Q1 2016 [Source: CAP/SMMT].
With over 35 million cars on the road, the challenge (and opportunity) remains in the aftermarket. Digital Radio UK is working with the industry to support the growing aftermarket with consistent media and in-store promotional campaigns. As of January 2016, over 6.5 million cars on the road in the UK are able to receive digital radio.
RAC launches digital radio installation service
The RAC is a vehicle repair and recovery service in the UK. They are the first repair group to launch an online digital radio installation service with fully fitted adapters from £149.99 [see here]. There are currently two products available, the AutoDAB Connect (£149.99 fitted) and the JustDRIVE DAB (£219.99 fitted) - both tick mark approved.
Digital Radio UK – Digital Dashboard Audit
Drivers love digital radio in cars, and DAB digital radio is increasingly becoming the norm; 70% of new cars in the UK now come with DAB as standard. However, the introduction of connected cars and changes to digital dashboards could affect the ability of drivers to access broadcast radio. Digital Radio UK has conducted a Digital Dashboard Audit to find out if radio is still prominent on dashboards and assess the implications of connectivity on the user experience. Read the full report here.
Service Following
Alongside the launch of the Digital Radio Certification Mark; Arqiva, Global Radio and Digital Radio UK have rolled out service following for Global Radio to all those ensembles carrying Global Radio services – Capital, Heart, XFM, Gold and Classic FM. This is a significant milestone for the industry and comes after three years of trials. Service following is required as part of the Minimum Specification for in-vehicle products, therefore this test route will be useful for manufacturers to test their products. For more information contact Sam Bonham, Technology Development Manager, Digital Radio UK sam.bonham@digitalradiouk.com.
20.01.2016
Over 80% of new cars now have DAB digital radio as standard. The latest data from industry analysts CAP and The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for Q4 2105 shows that the number of new cars fitted with digital radio as standard grew to 80.1%, compared to 61.2% in Q4 2014 and 7.5% in Q4 2010.
This is the second biggest quarterly increase since monitoring began in 2010. In 2015, a total of 1.9 million cars were sold with DAB as standard, accounting for 71% of the year’s record annual total sales of 2.6 million. The big shift to digital radio in cars has accelerated in the last 2 years, delivered by the leading car manufacturers, and now all of the top 10 new car models have digital radio fitted as standard.
Sales of commercial vehicles with DAB as standard also saw record growth, increasing to 40% in December 2015, up from 28.3% in December 2014.
According to RAJAR (Q3 2015), digital listening in car has grown by 48% year on year and now accounts for almost 17% in all car listening.
With over 35 million cars on the road, the challenge (and opportunity) remains in the aftermarket. Digital Radio UK is working with the industry to support the growing aftermarket with consistent media and in-store promotional campaigns. As of January 2016, over 6.5 million cars on the road in the UK are able to receive digital radio.
RAC launches digital radio installation service
The RAC is a vehicle repair and recovery service in the UK. They are the first repair group to launch an online digital radio installation service with fully fitted adapters from £149.99 [see here]. There are currently two products available, the AutoDAB Connect (£149.99 fitted) and the JustDRIVE DAB (£219.99 fitted) - both tick mark approved.
Digital Radio UK – Digital Dashboard Audit
Drivers love digital radio in cars, and DAB digital radio is increasingly becoming the norm; 70% of new cars in the UK now come with DAB as standard. However, the introduction of connected cars and changes to digital dashboards could affect the ability of drivers to access broadcast radio. Digital Radio UK has conducted a Digital Dashboard Audit to find out if radio is still prominent on dashboards and assess the implications of connectivity on the user experience. Read the full report here.
Service Following
Alongside the launch of the Digital Radio Certification Mark; Arqiva, Global Radio and Digital Radio UK have rolled out service following for Global Radio to all those ensembles carrying Global Radio services – Capital, Heart, XFM, Gold and Classic FM. This is a significant milestone for the industry and comes after three years of trials. Service following is required as part of the Minimum Specification for in-vehicle products, therefore this test route will be useful for manufacturers to test their products. For more information contact Sam Bonham, Technology Development Manager, Digital Radio UK sam.bonham@digitalradiouk.com.