News

Rajar results show UK’s Commercial radio’s share of listening has increased from 45.7% in Q1 2019 to 47.8%. These results are boosted by a higher than average share of digital listening. Digital – including DAB, online and apps – now makes up 61.6% of listening, reflecting the success of brand extensions and new services that stations are offering their listeners.

According to RAJAR Q1 2020 data released today, listening via DAB now accounts for 40% of all listening and 69% of digital listening in the UK. Digital listening in the UK has increased to a new record of 58.6% up from 56.4% in Q1 2019 - representing a 4% growth in share percentage.

Canberra’s additional DAB+ digital radio stations attract an audience of 54,000 listeners every week, according to GfK’s latest Canberra radio ratings survey. Audiences are spending 4 hours and 47 minutes listening to the DAB+ stations in an average week, the survey data shows.“This is a great result since permanent digital radio services were switched on in Canberra in July, and shows the potential of DAB+ to attract more listening to radio,” said CRA chief executive officer Joan Warner.

NENT has helped drive the development of DAB+ in Sweden, having first launched 13 DAB+ stations in July 2018 in Stockholm, Gävle and Uppsala. This was then followed by Swedish Radio's application for a DAB+ permit in November 2019, and Bauer Media in February 2020, which is set to start DAB+ services in Sweden in the summer of 2020.

Plans have been finalised for small-scale DAB radio licensing in the United Kingdom, where the new licenses will be made available in batches. “This is good news for radio and good news for listeners, as the expansion of small-scale DAB gives listeners a wider range of smaller stations available on DAB and gives small local stations a path to a digital future”, said Digital Radio UK CEO Ford Ennals.

In this series of interviews with WorldDAB members, Joseph D'Angelo from XPERI explains what markets and solutions are supported by XPERI, as well as highlighting some of the projects recently carried out by the company.

A 1940S-themed 'pop-up' radio station has launched on DAB+ in the UK to celebrate Victory in Europe Day across the country. The station - named Absolute Radio 40s - was on air for 24 hours to honour the 'inspiring generation of people who lived through the Second World War and the sacrifices they made'.

In a letter addressed to the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, the Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate, Mona Keijzer, has expressed her interest and support in rolling out a second national commercial multiplex in the Netherlands. The plans are expected to materialise by the end of 2020.

The French media regulator CSA has published the list of broadcasters that will be allocated DAB+ frequencies as part of the launch of DAB+ in Nancy, northeastern France. 26 stations will be available to listeners in the region as part of the launch, scheduled for 2021.

Carsten Zorger of Digitalradio Büro Deutschland gives a comprehensive country update on all the latest developments related to DAB+ in Germany. Watch the video to hear about the very latest research on DAB+ receiver sales including automotive, household penetration, programmes on air, and the status on the planned national commercial multiplex.