News

According to the National German Radio's managing director Erwin Linnenbach, broadcasters that choose to focus on FM services will not be in a position to compete with their DAB+ counterparts in a few years, while the opportunities related to the launch of Germany's second national commercial multiplex will also increase following the pandemic.

Public and private radio groups Radio France, Lagardère News, Les Indés Radios and Groupe M6 have announced the creation of a joint initiative offering a free digital interface for the distribution of digital radio and audio content.

Leeds DAB Radio - created by Dee Radio Group, community radio station Fever FM and small-scale Trial operator Niocast Digital - has made public its plans to to join the Leeds Small Scale DAB multiplex. According to the CEO of Fever FM, small-scale DAB will allow them to further develop the brand in ways which weren’t possible on a single channel.

RadioDNS is working to accelerate the growth of hybrid radio by establishing standards that reduce the costs and complexity of implementation on various fronts, including metadata. RadioDNS' Radio Device Metadata Terms, expected to be available this autumn, will help provide consistency in the dashboard.

Radioplayer is a launch partner for the new Polestar 2, Volvo’s innovative electric car brand, which features the first infotainment system powered by the Android Automotive operating system. The development of Android Automotive-compatible versions of their mobile apps is the first step for Radioplayer in ensuring hybrid capability (merging broadcast radio (FM, DAB) with online streams, logos, podcasts, and rich visuals) for all apps in Android Automotive. Both Radioplayer and Volvo are active members of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group.

The BBC’s global reach increased by 11 per cent year on year in 2020 to 468.2 million people a week – the highest number ever. Italy, where BBC World Service launched in June 2020, contributed 1.4 million new listeners on DAB radio.

A new consultation has been launched in The Netherlands regarding the launch of a second national commercial multiplex. With this auction, all radio stations in The Netherlands (national, regional and local) will be broadcast on DAB+.

The Minister for Communications this week published a policy directive asking the media regulator ICASA to prioritise licensing for the commercial rollout of terrestrial digital radio. This represents a huge opportunity not just for South Africa’s broadcasters and their listeners, but also for auto manufacturers, DAB+ domestic receiver and chip manufacturers.

The new radio station, Smooth, is set to launch on DAB+ this summer. Digital radio offers better sound quality and improved reception than old-fashioned FM as well as a wider range of radio stations from rolling news, to rock, talk, classical and jazz.

Paneda has signed a contract with the national multiplexer and network operator RTI cz in Czech Republic. The contract includes DAB multiplexing and audio encoding as well as metadata systems.