News

DAB+ digital radio is more popular than ever with listeners. With more than 82 million DAB+ receivers sold worldwide and over 1.5 million DAB+ devices sold in Germany (HEMIX) in 2019, digital radio is seeing record growth. Compared to 1.4 million DAB+ radios sold in 2018, this corresponds to a growth rate of 6.6 percent.

The French media regulator - CSA - this week announced the list of broadcasters that will be allocated DAB+ frequencies across several cities and regions, as part of the national rollout of DAB+ in France.

In light of cancelled events, GatesAir presents a series of online events that include topical presentations on DAB+, round tables and "virtual booth meetings" offering personal support to broadcasters. GatesAir are able to share knowledge and expertise gathered from their involvement in DAB+ rollouts across Europe and beyond.

Digital Radio NL's "Week of the Digital Radio" (6-10 July) is in full swing. Online, on television and of course on radio, DAB + is promoted as the new sound of radio, with promos focusing on DAB+ throughout the week, and DAB+ receivers to be won on most regional public radio stations.

French commercial radio station Crooner Radio has been assigned DAB+ frequencies to broadcast in several more major cities across France (Nancy, Metz, Troyes, Reims, Rouen, Caen, Le Mans, Angers). Other major players in the French radio landscape (NRJ, Europe 1, RTL, Radio France) will launch on national DAB+ in July 2021.

Terrestrial digital radio DAB + is still on the road to success: more than one in three people aged 14 and over has a DAB+ device in their home or car (34.2 percent), and one in five (20.5%) switches it on every week.

UK's Ofcom will extend licences for three national analogue commercial radio stations for a further 10 years. In its report the Government recognised the progress made by digital radio, with digital listening having grown in the 10 years since the Digital Radio Action Plan from just over 20% to now nearly 60%, and highlighted that ‘current trends suggest that analogue could account for 10% or less of listening by the end of the decade.'

The UK's Community Media Association is calling on the Treasury to increase funding as the sector is set to expand substantially with the introduction of small-scale DAB. The request includes the establishment of an equipment fund to subsidise the set-up of small-scale digital radio multiplexes. Small scale DAB will play a pivotal role in the next few years in reinvigorating local economies.

According to Javier Sánchez, part of the innovation team of Spain's public broadcaster RTVE, DAB+ is already established as the new dominant standard for radio in Europe, and it's now time for Spain to catch up with its European counterparts.

The initiative, promoted by the party Compromís, is in the Senate in the amendment period until September 17. The concrete measures are expected to be discussed later in the Committee on Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.