News

Ofcom has published a consultation proposing changes to the technical rules that DAB broadcasters need to follow, including a proposal to remove the 30% limit on DAB+ stations on the SDL multiplex. At the moment, the multiplex must have at least 70% of its services in original standard DAB.

Following major developments in the field of DAB+ in France in recent months, DAB+ was at the heart of the European Radio Show held in Paris at the end of January. This article highlights the important role DAB+ played at the show, as well as taking a closer look at the latest DAB+ updates in France, and what we can expect to see in the near future.

According to the latest report released by GfK, 116.000 DAB+ receivers - excluding automotive receivers - were sold in France in 2018. This amounts to a 25.8% increase compared to 2017. 3.7 million consumer receivers were sold across the 11 countries covered by the GfK report.

Car manufacturers have two years to comply with the new directive, that was ratified just before Christmas. In France, digital radio penetration has increased substantially - as a result, a law requiring all new consumer radios to include DAB+ by the end of 2019 has been triggered.

Taking into account the high number of news and updates related to DAB+ in Europe in recent months, and the continuous development of DAB+ throughout Europe and beyond, dutch online publication Radio Visie has launched a weekly DAB+ news report to bring all DAB+ related news to its audience in a bundled form.

In December 2018, the French regulator, the CSA, announced that over 20% of the French population was now covered by DAB+ digital radio broadcasts. This announcement triggered a law requiring, by the end of 2019, all new consumer radios to include DAB+. The law also applies to automotive receivers which have 18 months to comply.

Topics on the agenda included the benefits of DAB+ radio for broadcasters and consumers, the challenges and opportunities presented by in-car DAB+, hybrid radio, 5G and the significant progress that DAB+ has made in France over the last few months.

This article gives a detailed overview of DAB+ in Europe, with particular focus on the development of digital radio in Italy. It highlights some of the challenges and opportunities presented by DAB+, as well as emphasising the Italian receiver law that will require all receivers sold starting from 2020 to include built-in DAB+ capabilities.

The two-day workshop focused on the challenges, goals, and priorities for digital transformation within the organisation, including how to further expand the reach of DAB+ to 80% of the Czech population.

The new DAB+ stations - which include Klassik Radio, Radio Energy, Arabella Plus and Rock Antenne - will be launched as part of the nationwide launch of DAB+ in Austria on 28 May 2019. By 2020, it is estimated that 83 percent of the Austrian population will be covered by DAB+.