Australia - Radio - Digital Radio

Synopsis

Commercial and national broadcasters (Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Special Broadcasting Service) formally commenced digital radio services in the five mainland state capitals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in 2009. Trials of digital radio are still progressing in Canberra and Darwin in 2011 with an extension of the trial until 2012. It was expected that community broadcasters would commence services in these markets but funding has temporarily put a stop to this. Australian commercial radio broadcasters have agreed to adopt the new DAB+ standard for the implementation of digital radio.

While digital radio has the potential to deliver a range of new and innovative services to listeners through the more efficient use of radiocommunications spectrum, the introduction is premised on digital radio being used as a supplement to existing radio services rather than a replacement technology. As such, digital radio will be introduced in stages, and operate alongside existing analogue radio services.

In this report we provide an overview of digital radio functionality as well as market analysis, listener statistics in text, tabular and easy-to-read charts with historic information on the development of digital radio in Australia.

Companies mentioned

Companies mentioned in this report include –Southern Cross Austereo, Australian Radio Network (ARN), DMG, Macquarie Radio Network, ABC, SBS, Chemist Warehouse, BMW.

Hot topics and technologies mentioned

Hot topics and technologies mentioned in this report include – DAB, streaming, podcasting, media.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Market overview
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Market statistics
  • 2.3 Regional deployment of digital radio
  • 2.4 Features and benefits of digital radio
    • 2.4.1 Reception quality
    • 2.4.2 Text, images and data
    • 2.4.3 Visual radio
    • 2.4.4 Music downloading
    • 2.4.5 Greater programming capacity
    • 2.4.6 Traffic information
    • 2.4.7 Advertising
    • 2.4.8 Pay radio
    • 2.4.9 Internet radio
  • 2.5 Digital radio has commenced
  • 2.6 Push broadcasting
  • 2.7 Chemist warehouse MIX90s broadcasting online and instore
  • 2.8 Digital radio option now available in vehicles
  • 2.9 Digital radio still being trialled into 2012
  • 2.10 Regulatory developments
  • 2.11 Agreement on new Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard
• 3. Market analysis
  • 3.1 Can digital compete with new technologies?
  • 3.2 Opportunities moving forward
  • 3.3 Digital radio changeover cost could be prohibitive
• 4. Related reports

• Table 1 – Estimated size of digital radio audience – 2009 - 2010
• Table 2 – Estimated sales of digital radios – 2010 - 2011

• Chart 1 – Digital radio sales versus listeners – 2009 - 2011

• Exhibit 1 – Timeline of music on the Internet – 1984 - 2012