News

The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) will host a joint workshop with WorldDAB on Thursday 10 October 2019. The workshop will take place at the ASBU headquarters in Tunis and will focus on the current deployment of DAB+ digital radio in Tunisia and how radio, manufacturers and retailers can benefit from new business opportunities presented by the growing DAB+ market.

After Paris, Marseille, Nice, Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Nantes, DAB+ has now launched in Normandy. As of 1 October, the city of Le Havre has 13 DAB+ stations on air, while listeners in Rouen can benefit from 18 DAB+ stations.

The DAB+ offering in Austria continues to grow with Radio Fantasy, a new DAB+ station launching in Vienna this week. Wolfgang Struber, Chairman of the Digital Radio Austria Association and Managing Director of Radio Arabella, welcomed the launch as a sign of Austrian radio's commitment to digitisation.

Phase three of the South African DAB+ trial went on air on 15 March this year and will run for eight months with an extension of six months. The current MUX can accommodate 24 radio stations, of which a third of the capacity has been allocated to community-based radios stations.

Slovenia's Agency for Communication Networks and Services (Akos) has launched a call for tenders for DAB+ frequencies. The contract concerns two multiplexes – R2 (national) and R3 (Ljubljana) – and the deadline for the submission of bids is 11 November.

While the radio industry in Europe continues its transition to digital, the Spanish government has yet to manifest any signs of commitment to the rollout of DAB+ in the country, prompting industry experts to raise their concern on the matter.

The new national multiplex operated by Czech Radio, which is set to be divided into two parts serving the west and eastern parts of the country, will help bring population coverage to 80% by the end of 2019.

Southern Cross Austereo has announced changes to its lineup, with the launch of new DAB+ stations. Triple M launched MMM Hard N Heavy on 1 October 2019 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, while Hit Oldskool and MMM Country also launched in Hobart on the same day.

The business opportunities associated with the growth of DAB+ in cars were brought to light during the first automotive workshop organised by SRG, the Swiss broadcasting association, on 26 September. SRG's next workshop on DAB+ in the car will be taking place in Lausanne on 3 October, as Switzerland prepares for the switch off of the FM.

DAB+ digital radio took centre stage during the Austria Media Day that took place on 25 September. WorldDAB president Patrick Hannon highlighted the significant development of DAB+ in Austria and the rest of Europe, touching on the reasons behind the success of DAB+ radio and stating that radio requires a multi-platform strategy with DAB+ at the heart of it.