WorldDAB hosted its annual General Assembly in Brussels, Belgium on 5-6 November, bringing together 200 delegates from across the broadcast, automotive and receiver manufacturer industries.
Keynote speakers at the event included Heike Raab, German State Secretary for Rhineland-Palatinate, Antonio Arcidiacono, Director of Technology and Innovation at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Jean-Philippe Philippot and Paul Lembrechts, CEOs of RTBF and VRT respectively, Jonathan Wall from the BBC, Ladina Heimgartner from SRG SSR, Christer Modig from NENT, as well as Nicolas Curien from the French media regulator CSA.
Key topics on the agenda included the future of digital radio and digital distribution platforms, receiver regulation, DAB in the car, DAB marketing strategy and how to make informed investment choices to safeguard broadcast radio's future.
The significant progress achieved in driving DAB adoption on a global scale was emphasised throughout the two days in Brussels – from France's national DAB+ network rollout plans for 2020, to the launch of regular DAB+ services in French and Flemish-speaking parts of Belgium, Austria, Sweden and Tunisia earlier this year.
The EECC directive, which requires new car radios in the EU to be able to receive digital terrestrial radio by the end of 2020, and how to ensure EU member states transpose this directive into national legislation also featured high up on the agenda at the event in Brussels. Germany is in the process of transposing this directive into national legislation, while Italy and France already have laws in place that are in line with the EECC.
The growing popularity of DAB+ in the car, and how to ensure DAB+ stays relevant in the connected automobile was also emphasised, particularly in relation with the introduction of the EECC directive. Automotive manufacturers stressed the importance of metadata, reducing interference and ensuring that DAB reception – both in and out of the car – is at its best, in order to provide a rich and unified user experience to the driver.
Switzerland's digital switchover, which is set to be completed by 2024 at the latest – and potentially as early as January 2023 – was also highlighted at the General Assembly, along with the switch off of analogue transmitters that has already started to take place in markets such as the UK, Italy and Germany.
Broadcasters from across Europe also took the stage to highlight the opportunities generated by DAB+ digital radio – brand extension, new revenue streams and advertising platforms, and access to larger and more diverse audiences were some of the references that resonated with the audience.
The impact of 5G on radio, and its capacity to sustain the radio ecosystem was, as expected, also a key focus in Brussels. While its potential to complement DAB+ as part of a hybrid radio system was recognised, using 5G as the backbone for nationwide, free distribution of radio was all but ruled out, with speakers instead pointing to 5G as complementary to DAB+, and not as a replacement.
The importance of collaborating with retailers and educating listeners on the value of DAB+ digital radio through marketing campaigns was also echoed at the General Assembly, with a number of successful campaigns and case studies from Germany and the Netherlands used to illustrate this point.
New emerging European markets including Slovenia, the Czech Republic but also more established markets such as Poland and the Netherlands revealed significant growth and expansion plans for DAB+ in their respective markets, while the launch of regular services in French-speaking Belgium – host country of this year's General Assembly – were also celebrated in Brussels.