Digital radio drives ahead

The uptake of digital radio in Australia is experiencing growth from non-traditional listening posts, such as the corporate, transport and retail sectors.

The car industry according to Commercial Radio Australia’s 2014 Digital Radio Report, is spearheading the adoption with around 100,000 new vehicles sold with DAB+ digital radio during 2014. The report reveals that 16 different Australian vehicle brands now offer DAB+ as either standard or an option. The number of vehicle brands has doubled in Australia since 2013 when only eight manufacturers supported DAB+ digital radio, and progress is expected to continue with 26 vehicle manufacturers internationally offering DAB+.

Digital radio listening has exceeded 21.4% with over 2.8 million people tuning in each week in the five metropolitan capital cities.

In the five years since the launch of DAB+ digital radio in metropolitan Australia, research shows consumer awareness and sales continue to outperform expectations. Nearly 1.7 million digital radio devices have been sold in Australia and figure does not include vehicle and corporate usage.

According to CombiTel Managing Director Eugene Razbash, the superior sound quality of digital radio is being increasingly experienced across industry verticals such as corporate organisations and hospitality TV distribution systems, which usually include radio stations as a part of their channel line-up. Omniscreen Radio, an Australian developed enterprise digital radio solution is sharing its international experience working in more developed digital radio market where demand in the corporate and university sectors are strong.

Omniscreen Radio is a fully configurable IP streaming appliance designed for use in IPTV head-ends, radio broadcast monitoring and auditing. The Omniscreen digital radio solution also features a web-based GUI with optional graphics add-ons for streaming radio station as a TV channel. It is designed for Pay-TV companies, corporate and university campuses, hospitality, healthcare and aged care facilities and also in-store music systems.

“While internet radio via smartphones has good consumer recognition, it cannot substitute the broadcast digital radio platform.  The enterprise sector in particular is looking for digital radio platforms that will not be degraded by interference, bandwidth or connectivity issues,” Razbash says.