News

The second edition of Digital Radio Week took place on 4–8 November, hosting a number of events and special broadcasts. The now nationwide gathering is designed to promote and inform Belgians about the benefits of DAB+, and digital radio.

Love Sport, previously broadcasting on DAB in London, has started broadcasting nationally on Sound Digital using DAB+. The station has bought Panjab Radio’s slot after it ceased broadcasting across the UK last week.

Starting from 20 December 2019, new consumer receivers sold in France will be required to include DAB+ digital radio. The law will also be applied to in-car receivers starting from 20 June 2020.

WorldDAB’s latest market report reveals that by the end of Q2 2019, over 82 million consumer and automotive DAB/DAB+ receivers had been sold in Europe and Asia Pacific – up from 71 million one year earlier.

WorldDAB's session at TU Automotive, the leading telematics event for the automotive industry in Europe, brought together Audi’s Martin Koch, Antonio Arcidiacono from the EBU and Nick Piggott from RadioDNS to discuss the future of radio in the car.

WorldDAB has published the first version of its Aftermarket Devices Guidelines, to help improve the user experience of Aftermarket Devices (AMDs) which include DAB+ digital radio.

Sound Digital Ltd is advertising for anyone wanting to add their radio station to the national DAB platform to get in touch with them. The multiplex, which covers the majority of the UK population, is currently full, but changes are coming which will open up a spot for an additional station.

Commercial Radio Australia has welcomed the Australian government’s response to the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry. The government accepted the overriding conclusion that there is a need for reform to better protect consumers, improve transparency, recognise power imbalances and ensure that substantial market power is not used to lessen competition in media and advertising services markets.

Radio industry stakeholders in Spain are endorsing the uptake of DAB+ digital radio in Europe, and urging their government to follow in the footsteps of Italy, France and Germany, by introducing a national law in line with the EECC directive, which requires new cars across the EU to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio by the end of 2020.

Austria's major broadcasting bodies and associations have joined forces to petition for the introduction of regulation mandating DAB+ digital radio in all receivers sold in Austria - both in and out cars. The new regulation would also be in line with the EECC directive, which mandates digital radio in new cars across the EU by the end of 2020.