WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC - European Broadcasting Union

22.08.2019 - European Broadcasting Union (EBU) WorldDAB Member - Netherlands

Ben Poor, Project Manager, Technology and Innovation, European Broadcasting Union

How do you see the digital radio industry evolving in the coming years?

Digital Radio, either distributed using terrestrial broadcast or internet will inevitably grow in consumption compared to traditional analogue radio. This will be a consequence of more broadcasters choosing to make use of the benefits it offers, more manufacturers wishing to offer a better radio user experience, and changes in audience expectations.

Thanks to changes in EU regulations, we will see all new cars implementing DAB reception from the end of 2020 at the latest as well as increasing internet connectivity. This has the potential to make a great Hybrid Radio experience more widely available to drivers – something which can be a game changer for broadcasters. As more devices have the ability to enrich broadcast with internet services, more broadcasters should realise its full potential – adding on-demand and podcast content, rich visuals, and interactivity into what is already a great audio experience.

These new hybrid user experience are powered by well-covered, high quality metadata. Using openly standardized and freely-available metadata such as those developed jointly by EBU, RadioDNS and WorldDAB is the key to ensuring hybrid radio has a long term future.

What DAB+ products or services are you showcasing at IBC 2019?

Last year we demonstrated how a listener could use their voice to find a station, and not have to know whether it was available on DAB, FM or IP streaming. This year we show some of our larger initiatives that apply across all media, including Radio.

DAB+ is increasingly the backbone for reliable and free-available radio distribution across Europe. However, 5G is coming and broadcasters need to be there to shape it according to their needs and the needs of their audience. To that end, we’ve helped launch the 5G MAG (Media Action Group), a cross-industry body dedicated to making 5G work for all those involved in the production and distribution of audiovisual media content and services.

Personalized radio is moving into the mainstream, and the EBU is helping our members create their own tools for creating their own services. The EBU PEACH project (http://peach.ebu.io) is a recommendation and single sign-on platform - as applicable to a connected car app as it is to an OTT service, enabling broadcasters to control and analyse how recommendations are working across their services.

We will also be showing our own tools for managing and publishing open Hybrid Radio metadata and branding, essential for keeping radio looking great in the car. This will be presented as one of the projects at the annual EBU opensource meetup (Saturday 14^th September from 16.00 to 17.00), showcasing opensource tools for media and broadcasting.

You are one of several WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC 2019 – what value do you see in exhibiting at the show?

The EBU has long had a prominent place at IBC. For us, it’s a great venue to showcase how the EBU and its members are leading innovation in key areas for media and broadcasting (across production, distribution and the user experience), as well as seeing the great work that others are doing. Collaboration is key, both between our members and with external organisations and vendors.

Where can we find you and who should we ask for?

Hall 10 Stand F.20 – come and talk to me or any of my colleagues.