WorldDAB has announced that its most recent market report shows more than 75 million consumer and automotive DAB/DAB+ receivers sold in Europe and Asia Pacific at the end of Q4 2018. This figure, the organization highlights, is up from 65 million in Q4 2017.
WorldDAB says the report “draws on multiple sources to give a comprehensive overview of the latest statistics on DAB receiver sales, road and population coverage, household penetration and the number of national stations on DAB/DAB+ compared to FM.” It covers Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
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Key findings from the report include that in the U.K., 67% of households have at least one DAB radio and digital listening has been in excess of 50% for three successive quarters; more than 11 million receivers have been sold in Germany; in Switzerland 64% of all radio listening is via digital platforms; In Italy, 46% of new cars are now sold with DAB+ (up from 32% in 2017); 6 million receivers have been sold in Norway; and 69% of new cars are now sold with DAB+ (up from 47% in 2017) in Australia.
The infographic (see below) also provides details on the rollout status in 21 emerging markets with information on trials and population coverage.
“The last 12 months have been an exceptional period for DAB radio,” commented WorldDAB President, Patrick Hannon.
“The EU has adopted a directive requiring all new car radios to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts. New markets such as France, Belgium and Austria are launching national DAB+ services and established markets including Germany, the U.K., Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia are reporting record levels of digital listening. In 2018, 10 million DAB receivers were sold worldwide. We expect this figure to be easily surpassed in the years ahead.”
WorldDAB is preparing the upcoming WorldDAB Automotive 2019, which takes place in Turin, Italy June 20. The organization explains that this annual event seeks to promote the uptake of digital terrestrial radio in cars across Europe and discusses key issues affecting both automotive manufacturers and broadcasters. Register here.
