News

A new report released by the French regulator highlights the growing popularity of DAB receivers with French consumers. Among a number of findings, the report highlights that DAB+ household receiver penetration grew from 8 percent to 13 percent between 2017 and 2018 - a figure which expected to grow further in 2019 as DAB+ continues its rollout across the country.

DAB+ receiver sales continue to rise in Austria as the country prepares for the launch of its national DAB+ network on 28 May 2019. According to the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting (RTR), sales of DAB+ devices in Austria rose by 77 percent in 2018, and by 66 percent in the first three months of 2019 - a period in which sales of devices without DAB+ declined by 20 percent.

A total of 136 applicants have been selected for regional DAB+ licences following the call for applications launched by the French regulator earlier this year. DAB+ is expected to launch across a number of French cities in the near future, including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Annecy, Annemasse, Avignon, Bayonne, Besançon, Chambéry, Dijon, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Orléans, Pau, Poitiers, Saint-Etienne, Toulon and Tours.

RTR, the Austrian Regulatory Authority, has released a report ahead of the country's launch of its national DAB+ network, planned for 28 May 2019. The report includes information on the network expansion plans and the area covered by the expansion, as well as details on the receivers available to consumers in Austria.

More than 60% of the UK population now tunes in to digital radio - via DAB, digital TV or the internet - every week, with this percentage continuously rising. According to the latest data released by Rajar, over 70% of all digital listening is done on DAB+.

According to the latest data released by Rajar, over half of all radio listening (56.4 percent) taking place in the UK is digital. More than two-thirds of digital listening (71.6 percent) is attributable to DAB+.

KRRiT, the National Broadcasting Council of Poland has announced the start of a competition for regional and local broadcasters to carry out the creation of new DAB+ multiplexes in 34 cities across Poland. The first round of the competition is scheduled for May, while the fourth and last round is due to take place in 2020.

The state media authority of Saarland has revealed the applicants that have expressed interest in DAB+ broadcasting licences in the southwestern region of Germany. The decision is set to be announced at the Media Council meeting on 12 September 2019.

According to data released by the German retailer Idealo, the demand for DAB+ radio receivers in Germany has increased by 43 percent since 2016. Specifically, the demand for DAB+ radios increased by 17 percent from 2016 to 2017, and 26 percent from 2017 to 2018.

The government has announced the launch of a review of the radio industry later this year, concluding in mid-2020. The review will take into account the full range of ways people listen to the radio, including analogue, DAB and online listening through apps and smart speakers. According to data released this week, DAB digital radio now accounts for 71.6% of digital listening and 40.4% of all listening in the UK.