News

Germany’s largest service provider for the broadcast and media industry, Media Broadcast, has put into operation two new transmitters to improve national DAB+ coverage in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany.

According to the latest figures published by GFK, 4.5 million Italians own a DAB+ radio, while 12.9 million Italians claim to know what DAB+ is. 48 nationals stations are available to DAB+ listeners across the country, with 28 of these being exclusively available on DAB+ digital radio.

DAB+ was launched 10 years ago in Australia, with 40 different radio stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide broadcasting simultaneously to a combined breakfast audience estimated at more than 8.5 million people. This year, DAB+ launched in the cities of Darwin, Hobart and Canberra, and it is now firmly established across the country.

In this series of interviews on WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC, Joe D'Angelo of Xperi explains how he sees the digital radio industry evolving in the coming years, and tells us about the DAB+ products Xperi will showcase at this year’s event.

Throughout the month of August, DAB+ digital radio advertisements will be broadcast by all national broadcasters and over 200 local broadcasters in Italy. 48 national stations are now available on DAB+ in Italy, including 28 digital-only stations.

The radio industry is in the process of completing its digital migration, and DAB+ continues to grow in Europe. In France, all commercialised receivers will have to be compatible with digital from June 2020, while 70% of the French population should be able to receive programs in DAB+ by the end of 2020.

This year’s interoperability workshop organised by the WorldDAB Technical Committee will be held at the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT) in Munich, on 27 November 2019, from 09:00-16:00. The purpose of the workshop is to provide a discussion platform for all technical aspects of operating the DAB system. World DAB members register via the website; interested non-members, please email the WorldDAB Project Office.

Network operator towerCast has ordered additional three complete multiplexer systems from Paneda. The new systems will be put in operation in Mâcon, Bourg-en-Bresse and Rouen/Etendu. Commenting on the announcement, Towercast president Raphael Eyraud said “We are pleased to note that DAB in France is expanding, and that towerCast are able to be a key part in the DAB roll out in France. The previous systems from Paneda has performed very well and is much appreciated by us for its easy to use and understand approach”.

At IBC, German technology company IZT will highlight a range of new features for IT-based digital radio head-ends, a RF signal source with enhanced support for broadcast standards and equipment for virtual field tests.

Public broadcaster SWR has announced its plans to expand DAB+ network coverage in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. The expansion is set to start in the third quarter of 2019 and continue into 2020.