News

Almost 250,000 cars in the United Kingdom were registered in September with digital radio as standard, up nearly 50% on September 2013, according to Ed Vaizey, minister for Culture and the Digital Economy in the United Kingdom.

When buying a new car it is worth asking about DAB+. DAB+ will replace FM radio in a few years and offers some advantages. For this reason, the TCS has looked at the 15 best selling cars in 2013 in Switzerland and what price DAB+ is in these models.

DAB receiver sales in the UK have grown by 10% in the last year. In the last 12 months (Oct 13 to Sep 14), total UK DAB receiver sales were 2.93 million units - up 10% from 2.66 million (Oct 12 to Sep 13). The key driver of growth is the automotive sector. The DAB market is now firmly established - for both consumer and line-fit automotive receivers.

In September, 58% of all new cars registered came with digital radio (CAP/SMMT), it was announced by Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy at the annual industry Radio Festival in Salford today. Almost 250,000 cars were registered in September 2014 with digital radio as standard, up nearly 50% on the previous September. He also confirmed that BBC coverage for its national stations on DAB digital radio was now 95%, and that this programme of work would be completed before the end of 2015.

A new broadcasting center for digital radio opened today at the headquarters of broadcasting organisation, Südtirol (RAS). From 15th October, South Tyrol will be able to receive 33 digital radio channels.

Small-scale DAB is to get a boost as Ofcom prepares to licence a number of smaller multiplexes. The regulator will launch a consultation next week inviting stations to be part of the test, which will give existing stations a chance to go on DAB for a nine month period. Peter Davies, Director of Content Policy at Ofcom, speaking at the Tech Con event in Salford today, said: “There are around 150 small scale radio and 200 or more community radio stations and for them the existing multiplex structure just doesn't work. “We want to give those stations a chance to go digital, and we’d like to see community and commercial stations working together,”

Sunrise Radio has announced that it will begin broadcasting on DAB digital radio from Wednesday 15th October. In its on-air promo, the station is urging listeners to re-tune their DAB radio sets to find Sunrise Radio on five multiplexes including Greater London and outskirts such as Dover, Kent and Bedfordshire.

The professional organisations involved in the roll-out of DAB radio stations in Paris, Marseille and Nice have formed an “Alliance for Digital Radio” (“l’Alliance pour la RNT”) to coordinate activities related to the promotion of a rapid launch of digital radio at the national level, and aimed at the regulator (CSA), government departments, industry partners, retailers and editors. They plan also to inform the public about the advantages offered by digital radio.

The U.K's national, commercial DAB network, known as Digital One, plans to commission four new transmitter sites before the end of this year, and an additional five next year.

The latest Q3 Digital Radio survey carried out by TNS Gallup and commissioned by Digital Radio Norway show positive gains, as research has found the number of DAB receivers in households has increased by nearly 250,000. There are now more than 1.9 million DAB receivers in Norway and the number of DAB receivers in car is now up 14% from 8% prior year putting the total number at 390,000. The total proportion of Norwegian households with at least one DAB receiver has increased from 36% to 50%. “We have reached a major milestone when 50% of the country’s households report having one or more DAB radios.” says Ole Jørgen Torvmark, General Manager, Digital Radio Norway.