News

According to Digimig, digital radio usage is increasing thanks to DAB+. DAB+ currently has 34 percent market share of total radio usage, which since autumn 2015 corresponds to an increase of 11 percent.

Absolute Radio is seeking to reduce its medium wave (AM) coverage across the UK, from 90% to 85%, according to Ofcom's latest consultation. The station would continue to be available to listeners in the affected areas via DAB digital radio

Listening figures in Norway have remained stable following last year's switch off from FM. The figures show that listeners are tuning in to more stations than before, and smaller stations are growing at the expense of larger ones. New stations that had little or no distribution on FM now have 34 % of the market share following the transition to DAB+.

Speakers including Patrick Hannon of WorldDAB, Graham Dixon of the EBU, and others from RadioDNS, Sveriges Radio, NAB and Bauer Media will discuss topics ranging from smart speakers and hybrid radio to the changing face of in-car radio and 5G’s impact on the medium. Other invitation-only events include the EBU Strategic Program for Radio, and the WorldDAB Technical Committee.

Bauer Media wants to cut back the AM reach of its Absolute Radio station, which continues to broadcast nationally on the old fashioned medium wave frequency, in addition to its DAB and online channels, and FM outputs in London and the West Midlands.

Digital radio’s share of all radio listening has risen over the years, reaching 49.9% in Q4 2017, up from 45.2% in the year-ago period. DAB sets are responsible for 73% of digital listening, or 377 million hours.

New figures from RAJAR reveal that 49.9% of all radio listening is to digital platforms. Digital platforms mostly means DAB: 36.3% of all radio listening is on DAB. The UK government said, back in 2010, that it would consider switching off FM when total digital listening had reached 50%. Now, much longer than anyone really anticipated, we’re almost there.

Digital radio use in the UK reached 49.9%, a growth of 10% compared to 45.2% in Q4 2016, according to RAJAR Q4 2017 data. The majority of digital radio use comes from DAB over-the-air radio which grew 9.2% in hours to account for 36.3% share of all radio listening and 72.8% of digital listening.

DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is top of mind for German consumers right now, following a 2010 country-wide initiative to convert all radio and TV signals to digital. The DAB search trend has experienced sustained year-over-year growth at a rate of 41% in Germany since 2010.

Digital radio listening in the autumn of 2017 a share of 61%. That means that 61 digital (DAB+ and internet) from every 100 minutes were listened to on the radio.