Over half UK households to have DAB by 2010
The Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) have predicted that over 50% of UK households will have a radio capable of receiving digital broadcasts by the year 2010.
Sales this year are around the 2 million mark (13.9% market penetration), rising to 40% in 2009 and topping 50% by 2010.
CEO of the DRDB, Ian Dickens, said: “Over the past four years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of DAB digital radio sets available to consumers and there are now around 300 different models available from all the leading consumer electronic brands. Having established a firm product base in the traditional radio market, our aim is to ensure DAB digital radio is also available across a broader range of devices as digital convergence continues. To meet these needs, DAB digital radio must be included in new multi-purpose devices and the good news is that the first such products are already hitting the streets.”
Though streaming radio over the net is also becoming popular, quality usually falls far short of existing FM broadcast standards due to bandwidth considerations. For major UK stations (the Beebs and commercial stations) who have invested in digitally broadcasting their existing stations as well as creating digital-only ones, these projections should be encouraging.
