The DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) produces a monthly news bulletin designed to keep all those in the DAB digital radio chain informed and updated on the latest developments in the industry.
Half a Million DAB Radios
GfK figures for cumulative penetration of DAB digital radios in the UK, to the end of February 2004 show significant percentage growth of 229% year-on-year and put penetration at 509,000 units.
Driven by consumer enthusiasm for new, digital radio stations, the level of sales has motivated several key car manufacturers to offer DAB as an option in 2004 models. Vauxhall’s New Astra, GM Daewoo’s Lacetti and many MG and Rover cars, along with the Lotus Elise 111R and several TVR models all offer DAB as an option to new car buyers.
Says DRDB Chief Executive, Ian Dickens, “With 500,000 DAB radios in UK homes, it is inevitable consumers will want to take that digital listening choice into their cars. This is the first step towards car manufacturers fitting DAB as standard.”
Following record sales over Christmas 2003, when two DAB products were sold every minute in December, sales have maintained pre-Christmas levels. GfK also reveals the overall top three brands of kitchen radio sold in December were DAB products.
After several years of high prices and form factors limited to hi-fi tuners and kitchen radios, DAB is now available across the entire audio range, including boomboxes, pocket radios, clock radios, micro systems, home cinema, and in-car units. DAB radios are now available from around Ł60.
Familiar brand name manufacturers from Japan, including Sony and Sharp have announced they will launch DAB product this year, joining the likes of Philips, Samsung, TEAC, Grundig and Hitachi who are already in the market.
Using Claritas in-box questionnaires, the DRDB has gathered information from more than 12,000 DAB radio owners. Satisfaction levels with sound quality, new station choice, and ease of use have consistently been in the 90th percentile over the past year.
The DRDB expects sales of DAB radios to double by the end of 2004, achieving a cumulative penetration of one million units.
New venture to create data services
GWR and BT have announced plans to create a mobile digital datacasting operation. It will use digital radio capacity on the national commercial multiplex, operated by Digital One, to transmit a wide range of unique ’one-to-many’ digital multi-media services, including news, sports and entertainment, in real-time to mobile phones and PDAs at a similar rate to broadband internet. Content can be continually updated and always available.
The new entity will be operated by BT Wholesale with GWR representation on its management Board. The business is expected to lead to significant increase in the number of digital radios in the UK when DAB digital radio chips are incorporated into mobile devices.
Digital One’s Chief Executive, Quentin Howard says multimedia information and entertainment to mobile devices powered by DAB digital radio should be a reality within the next eighteen months.
DAB digital radio will enable new capabilities on mobile phones including both broadcast and downloadable music and video clips combined with text and information services, all of which can have interactive functions. BT Wholesale will be working in conjunction with manufacturers of cellular equipment to develop applications and new devices for the service. Third party content and information providers will be able to deliver services such as news, traffic, sport and music through the system.
Digital Listeners Tune in Longer
Research reveals that digital radio listeners are abandoning their analogue radios for DAB.
Findings from a survey carried out by Continental Research for MXR shareholders (Capital Radio, Chrysalis Radio, GMG and UBC Media) has revealed that in DAB-equipped homes surveyed, 69% of radio listening is via DAB digital radio.
The survey also reveals that two thirds of DAB listeners claim to listen for longer, tuning-in for an average of 29 hours per week- those who claim to be listening for longer state an average increase of 11.9 hours per week compared to the time before they had a DAB radio.
68% claim to be listening to the radio more now they have DAB digital radio and of those people, TV watching has been substituted most for DAB listening with 62% of them claiming to watch less TV.
In DTV radio listening homes 24% of radio listening is now via DTV as opposed to via analogue radio.
The survey also highlights the dramatic predilection for new DAB listening choices, with 82% of DAB respondents are now proactively listening to one or more new stations since their first DAB purchase.
DAB users show extremely positive satisfaction levels for all aspects of DAB radio with:
- 94% satisfied with reception quality
- 96% satisfied with the variety of stations
- 98% satisfied with the ease of tuning
Speaking of the dramatic findings, Diane Wray, Marketing Director, MXR, commented; "This first study, to my knowledge, into digital listening behaviour and in particular DAB confirms our gut feeling that the combination of new station choice, easy tuning, digital sound quality and pioneering digital functionality provides an unbeatable radio experience".
Product News
New Boombox from Bush
Bush takes DAB Digital Radio to the street with a sleek, urban boombox.
The FUSION004 boasts 2 x 7.5W RMS Output with Bass Boost and Graphic EQ settings. It incorporates DAB Digital Radio and FM/MW and has both a CD Player and Cassette Recorder.
Its gunmetal grey finish with orange speaker cone detail give the FUSION a unique, futuristic feel, and, being powered by mains or batteries, it’s great for street, beach or bedroom listening.
The Bush FUSION004 Boom Box is available mid April for Ł179.
New In-Car radios
JVC launches a single DIN CD receiver including an in-built DAB digital radio receiver.
The new unit plays CD, CD-R and CD-RW as well as MP3 and WMA files which allow up to 10 times the storage capacity of a normal CD. Idtag3 file handling software helps the user find a track by title, artist or number.
The unit carries the freshly launched EXAD brand and underlines JVC’s commitment to new technologies.
Variable colour 3-D graphic effects accent the product and also help to provide the user with clear and concise icons and information. The versatile Personal Image Capture Technology (PICT) allows customers to display still images from a digital camera or the Internet as well as short movie clips.
The KD-LHX601 is available form JVC’s extensive network of EXAD dealers from May this year.
Blaupunkt announces the imminent arrival of the new Woodstock DAB 54. The 1-DIN format radio handles CDs, MP3 music and digital SD and MMC memory cards. It can record digital radio programmes and has a new "reminder" feature that can record everything it received during the previous 30 seconds, so you won’t miss recording the start of any track.
And using Bluetooth technology, the Woodstock DAB 54 can connect wirelessly to a PDA. The DAB data output makes it possible to transmit programme-associated and non-programme-associated data transmitted along with the radio programme and displayed on the PDA.
Independent of the radio programme, the Woodstock DAB 54 can also retrieve information supplied by different data services. This could include flight schedules, train connections, danger alarms, traffic conditions etc.
New Transmitters
BBC
Since the last newletter, the BBC has switched on six new transmitters bringing DAB digital radio to more than 835,000 potential listeners.
DIGITAL ONE
National commercial multiplex operator Digital One has switched on another four transmitters bringing new or enhanced listening to 797,000 potential listeners.
New Multiplexes
Three new local multiplexes launch at the end of April in the UK.
The TWG/Emap multiplex serving Stoke-on-Trent offers six services, including Signal 1, Signal 2, Smash Hits, The Storm, Kiss and BBC Radio Stoke.
And in Nottingham, NOW digital launches eight services including 96 Trent FM, Classic Gold Gem, Century 106, Galaxy 105, Capital Disney, The Storm, A Plus and BBC Radio Nottingham.
In Kent a new Capital Radio multiplex includes Invicta FM, Capital Gold, Kent Digital Extra, Xfm, Kiss and BBC Radio Kent.
This brings the multiplex total in the UK to 45, being 43 local and regional, plus two national.
There are now 160 different brands broadcasting 385 services in the UK.
Of these brands, 41 are BBC stations and 119 are commercial radio.
202 services are only available with a DAB digital radio and 183 are straight analogue simulcasts.
ENDS
May 5, 2004
The Digital Radio Development Bureau is funded and supported by BBC, Digital One, Emap Digital Radio, CE Digital, MXR, Capital Digital and Now-Digital. The DRDB's task is to ensure digital radio's wide accessibility and swift adoption in the UK with consistent and effective marketing.
Visit the DRDB's consumer web site www.digitalradionow.com, or our Business to Business site, www.drdb.org.
If you have any news you would like included in the next DRDB news bulletin, please email mandy@drdb.org
If you do not wish to receive future copies of this news bulletin please email mandy@drdb.org
Mandy Green
Press and Publicity Manager
DRDB
The Radiocentre
77 Shaftesbury Avenue
London W1D 5DU
020 7306 2636
07973 184995