The DRM Consortium and ATSC have entered into a partnership agreement.
DRM is the developer and promoter of the Digital Radio Mondiale digital radio standards while ATSC is a developer of voluntary standards and recommended practices for digital terrestrial broadcasting.
The agreement is designed to foster close collaboration between the two standards bodies with the aim of increasing the adoption of both standards worldwide.
“We are excited to formalize our collaboration with the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium through this reciprocal institutional membership agreement. This partnership not only enhances our commitment to advancing broadcasting technologies but also paves the way for ongoing efforts to carry Digital Radio Mondiale services over ATSC 3.0 transmissions, expanding access to high-quality digital radio and expanding opportunities for ATSC 3.0 broadcasters,” stated Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC.
DRM Chair Ruxandra Obreja stated, “There are clear synergies between our two not-for-profit organizations, as well as geographical overlaps in our activities. … Getting blended, robust end-to-end and ready-to-use solutions is an aim DRM and ATSC share fully.”
Noland specifically mentioned India, Indonesia, and Brazil as markets where both DRM and ATSC 3.0 are in use or in trials and where the collaboration could expand opportunities.
In 2021, Fraunhofer IIS, the DRM Consortium, and Sinclair Broadcast Group began collaborating on an effort to integrate transport of DRM-based services with the digital radio features of the ATSC 3.0 digital television platform. The aim was to allow for DRM-based content to be created once and then received on a wide range of platforms from standalone radio and TV sets to mobile phones and in-car receivers.
