News

Listening via digital platforms continues to grow, now accounting for 45.5% of all radio listening, with BBC 6 Music setting yet another audience record of 2.342m and Kisstory now the top commercial radio digital-only station with 1.611 million listeners.

A new eight-day pop up radio service in Scotland will broadcast in November, in the run up to St Andrew’s Day. BBC Radio Scotland Music Extra will celebrate Scottish musical talent 24 hours a day from November 23 to 30, showcasing everything Scottish from rock and pop to country, traditional and jazz, while BBC Radio Scotland’s main programming continues as normal.

Digital listening has grown to 45.5% share, a year-on -year growth of 9% (up from 41.9% in Q3 2015), boosted by record-breaking performances of digital-only stations, according to Rajar Q3 2016 data released today. Listening on DAB continues to grow and now accounts for 71% of all digital listening, with DAB ownership growing to 57% of all households - or 31 million people - a year on year growth of 7%.

59% of the population now listen to digital radio each week, with 32 million of those tuning in via a digitally enabled receiver (DAB, DTV, online). The share of all radio listening via a digital platform stood at 45.5% in Q3 - comprised of DAB (32.3%), DTV (5.2%) and listening online or via an app (8%).

Digital listening has grown to 45.5% share, a year-on -year growth of 9%, with 6 Music continuing to attract extra listeners on DAB. Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, said: “Digital radio has created an even playing field for national stations and it’s great to see the record-breaking performances for the leading digital-only station BBC 6 Music and the new number one digital-only commercial station, Kisstory."

DAB began broadcasting in Germany in 2011 and while the date for a digital switchover is being decided it is important that consumers are educated about the benefits of digital radio.

SuperSystem is adapted to receive a full range of digital radio standards DAB & DAB+ alongside FM radio with RDS and Internet radio with access to 30 thousand stations from around the world.

Alpine has launched the EZi-DAB-BT and EZi-DAB-GO , DAB/DAB+ receivers universal handsfree devices, that are easy for the consumer to fit themselves.

A recent interview with Laurent Finet, Director of production and innovation of digital radio at RTBF, provides some further insight into what is planned for digital radio in Belgium. “The main advantage is that this format (digital radio transmission) will allow radio to remain free in opposition to internet radio” said Finet.

As the clock continues to tick down to the 2016 edition of WorldDAB’s General Assembly in Vienna, the organisation’s president Patrick Hannon is taking a look back at three of the goals that were set forth at last year’s meeting. Hoping to accelerate DAB adoption, Hannon chose to focus on three areas: international development, DAB in cars, and European support.