News

Almost four million new vehicles sold in Australia by the end of 2021 will be fitted with DAB+ digital radio technology according to projections. Figures released by Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) from PwC also indicate the number of new vehicles sold with DAB+ technology will double, accounting for 60% of total sales in 2021. 862,426 new vehicles sold were fitted with DAB+ as of the end of 2016.

Projections by PwC for DAB+ digital radio show that nearly 60% of new vehicles sold in Australia in 2021 will be fitted with a digital radio, forecasting nearly double the number of current new vehicles fitted with the technology.

Projections by PwC for DAB+ digital radio show that nearly 60% of new vehicles sold in Australia in 2021 will be fitted with a digital radio, forecasting nearly double the number of current new vehicles fitted with the technology. PwC projects that close to 4 million new vehicles fitted with DAB+ will be sold by the end of 2021, up from 862,426 at the end of 2016.

Radiodays Europe (RDE) is being held at the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam from 19th until 21st March. Gathering together radio professionals from 62 countries, the theme of the event this year "A Sound Future" is dedicated to the future of radio, specifically looking at the growing market for digital audio products, the challenges relating to digitization, changing consumer demands and the necessary innovations for existing business models.

The real threat to the market position of active private radio broadcasters is not to participate in terrestrial digital radio, rather than participation in the DAB market. This article gives a German translation of WorldDAB President Patrick Hannon’s recent presentation on the DAB business case for commercial radio broadcasters in Europe presented at the EBU Digital Radio Summit this year in Geneva.

A one day event hosted jointly by Digital Radio Austria and the Association of Commercial Radios (VÖP) is being held in Vienna, Austria on 28 March 2017 for potential multiplex operators to present their concepts on DAB+ digital radio to interested radio broadcasters. There is currently an open tender for applicants to manage one nationwide DAB+ multiplex and if required additional regional/local DAB+ multiplexes which will close on 12 June 2017.

NBTC plans to launch digital radio in 2018 and states that guidelines should be finalised before the start of a nationwide trial. DAB+ licenses are to be gradually sold nationwide, regionally and then locally. The first trial DAB+ broadcasts began in Bangkok in March 2013.

DTS will showcase its hybrid radio solution, Connected Radio, at RadioDays Europe. Jeff Jury, General Manager, Radio and Automotive at DTS said "The DTS Connected Radio solution provides a global ecosystem for broadcasters and receiver manufacturers, leveraging metadata from a wide range of sources to deliver a uniform in-vehicle broadcast experience".

The United Kingdom now has its first multiplex to convert all of its services to the DAB+ broadcast standard. Juice 107.2 serving the Brighton and Hove area has made the switch from DAB to DAB+. Listeners in Brighton now have a choice of 12 DAB+ stations. The Brighton and Hove small-scale DAB multiplex was one of the first piloted back in 2012 and 2013, and is one of 10 locations.

The Radio Commission of the Länder took note of the "Action Plan for the Transformation of Radio Broadcasting in the Digital Age" at its meeting on 15 March. Last month, the action plan was also approved by BMVI's Digital Radio Board.