Australian radio industry targets automotive sector to drive DAB+

In an effort to drive the uptake of DAB+ digital radio, Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has announced a DAB+ digital radio Installers Workshop for the automotive aftermarket retail and installer sector.

The workshop will include the most up-to-date information on DAB+ digital radio aftermarket products, how to optimise in car reception and guidelines for antenna placement to receive the best digital radio coverage.   In addition, the workshop will provide an update on DAB+ coverage and the status of the rollout to areas outside of the five state metropolitan capitals. 

The industry has made significant inroads with Australian vehicle manufacturers throughout last year with Toyota, Lexus and Hino now offering DAB+ as standard in selected new vehicle models, plus Audi, BMW and most recently Land Rover and Mercedes with DAB+ digital as an option in a number of models. 

Commercial radio listening figures for 2012 show 34% of radio listening is in the car and the radio industry is keen for those listeners to experience digital radio.

Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said: “There are around 16 million registered vehicles in Australia, mostly with analogue radios; the DAB+ digital radio aftermarket sector provides a great opportunity for aftermarket retailers, installers and manufacturers.”

Figures released this month from the United Kingdom revealed one third of all new cars (33%) in Q4 2012 now have a digital radio as standard.  This compares with 25.5% in Q3 2012, 20.8% in Q4 2011 and just 7.5% in Q4 2010.