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Digital listening is at an all-time high – with 62% saying we now tune in each week via a digital platform. This is consistent with the latest figures which show DAB ownership is also at its highest too.

The council meeting of the Bavarian State Centre for New Media (BLM) will decide on Thursday on the dissemination of HITRADIO RT1 Northern Swabia via DAB+. It is planned to broadcast the Donauwörther program in the Ausgburg multiplex on channel 9C. For the additional simultaneous digital distribution of the unmodified VHF radio program, the provider shall be allocated a data capacity of 60 CU (net data rate 80 kbit / s with error protection EEP 3A) for use by 30 June 2020.

Radio FG is continuing to develop its DAB+ network, through which the station is already broadcast in the cities of Marseille and Nice. In the second half of 2018, FG will broadcast its program in DAB+ in Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille, Lens, Arras, Bethune, and Douai.

Q4 figures are in from the British radio market and it shows and all time high for digital listening. The majority of digital listening was via DAB digital radio that has 36.3 per cent of all radio listening and 72.8 per cent of all digital listening.

Digital radio was on the rise too, up from 45.2% at the end of 2016 to 49.9% a year later. AM and FM accounted for 50.1% whereas digital was split with DAB at 36.3%, digital TV at 5.1% and online and apps at 8.5%. Furthermore, DAB radio ownership has been steadily on the rise, tiptoeing up from 35.8% in 2010 to 62.3% of respondents.

"For us the big trend is that digital radio listening is up to 49.9%," Radiocentre chief executive Siobhan Kenny said. While for BBC, digital listening is still less than half of all radio listening at 48.3%, it has overtaken AM/FM as a platform for commercial radio and now accounts for 51.3%.

The majority of digital listening is via DAB digital radio which grew 9.2% in hours to account for 36.3% share of all radio listening or 72.8% of digital listening. In car digital listening hours have grown by 25% year on year, an increase of 15.9 million hours, and reached a new record share of 32%. DAB digital listening in cars contributed to 50% of all DAB digital listening growth.

More than 3 in 5 adults (aged 15+) currently listen to radio via a digital platform. In total, 34 million people now tune in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver (DAB, digital TV or online) each week. In an average week, digital listening accounts for 518 million hours; DAB has a 73% share of digital listening hours, digital TV 10% and online 17%.

The coalition contract states the new government “will continue to develop the regulations, regarding the interoperability in § 48 of the telecommunications law, in order to strengthen digital radio as a low-threshold medium. With the involvement of all stakeholders, we will develop actions, in order to further promote the digitisation of the radio.” On the EU Digital Europe strategy the contract states, “We are committed to the interoperability of digital radios also on the European level.”

Digital listening reached a new record share of 49.9%, a percentage share growth of 10% compared to 45.2% in Q4 2016. The growth was driven by a surge in digital listening for commercial radio stations, which for the first time exceed 50% at 51.6%, up from 45% in Q4 2016. The majority of digital listening is via DAB digital radio which grew 9.2% in hours to account for 36.3% share of all radio listening or 72.8% of digital listening. In car digital listening hours have grown by 25% year on year, an increase of 15.9 million hours, and reached a new record share of 32%. DAB digital listening in cars contributed to 50% of all DAB digital listening growth.