News

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced that it will be issuing a number of regional broadcasters with temporary licenses for DAB+ broadcasting starting from January 2020. The temporary licenses are expected to be granted for a period of two years until 2022, at which point the full range of frequencies intended for local broadcasters will be made available.

New data published as part of WorldDAB's report on the radio industry and listening figures in Norway shows that total radio listening is back to similar levels as achieved in 2016, prior to the digital switchover. Younger and older listeners have recovered fastest, and overall listening levels are stable with daily reach standing at 63-64%, and weekly reach at 88%.

WorldDAB's session at IBC 2019 focused on new and innovative ways to reach and attract audiences in a connected world. Speakers from across the industry agreed that a multiplatform digital radio strategy is necessary to preserve the value proposition of radio in a connected and evolving world.

The rising popularity of DAB+ in French-speaking Belgium is reflected in the growing number of stations launching on DAB+. Six new stations are launching on DAB+ in September, bringing the total number of stations available on DAB+ in the region to 22. More stations are expected to launch in coming months.

Media Broadcast said that the media council of the Media Authority in Saarland (LMS) has assigned transmission capacity to Divicon Media on the nationwide DAB+ frequency block 11 C for ten years. Media Broadcast will provide technical services for the DAB+ platform in Saarland, while Divicon Media will be responsible for content and the operation of the broadcast service.

WorldDAB will run a DAB+ session focused on radio’s migration to digital at IBC 2019 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The session, titled Radio distribution strategies for a connected world, will be held on Monday 16 September from 09:00 – 10:30 in the Emerald Room.

DAB + has reached a new milestone in Switzerland, with 65% of all radio listening in the spring of 2019 being digital. DAB+ listening now makes up over one third (35%) of total listening in the country.

According to the latest figures published by Digital Radio Australia, over 5.2 million DAB+ devices have already been sold in Australia, while 73% of vehicles are now sold with DAB+ radio included.

WorldDAB and several of its members will be exhibiting at this year’s IBC. In the lead up to the event, we are conducting a series of mini-interviews with our exhibiting members, offering the opportunity to find out more about the digitisation of radio and what our members will be showcasing in Amsterdam. Find out more about BCAST's reasons for attending IBC.

System integrator Emico and Paneda have signed an agreement for providing DAB multiplexer systems to the upcoming DAB trial in Vietnam. The system includes a full system in redundancy including content management for metadata. The system is planned to go on-air before the end of the year in the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.