A keynote speech from Shuja Khan, CEO of Arqiva, will form part of the WorldDAB Summit 2022 taking place in London next week.
Key topics from the global growth of DAB+ will be explored as digital radio and automotive leaders from around the world come together for the in-person and online event.
The Arqiva CEO will talk about the future of digital radio including the UK transmission provider’s “Broadcast 2040+” campaign.
Alongside this, Matt Payton, CEO of UK commercial radio trade body Radiocentre, will explore how audience habits are shifting, and what opportunities these changes offer broadcasters, while mitigating the risks of online gatekeepers.
From France, Les Indés Radios is an interest group bringing together 129 local radio broadcasters; its President, Jean-Eric Valli will set out why they cannot ignore the advances and protection offered by terrestrial broadcast radio via DAB+.
Case studies will illustrate how DAB+ is helping radio broadcasters grow audiences and strengthen their brands, from Phil Riley of Boom Radio, which targets 60–75-year-olds in the UK; Julia Schutz of ANTENNE NRW, a new digital broadcaster in North Rhine-Westphalia; and Anne-Marie de Couvreur from France’s first “100% positive” DAB+ radio station dedicated to wellness, AirZen Radio.
It’s now five years since Norway switched off national FM, and Switzerland is set to follow in 2024. What switching to DAB+ has meant for both broadcasters and listeners will be discussed by Ole Jørgen Torvmark, CEO of Digital Radio Norway during Norway’s switchover, in conversation with Kenneth Andresen VP, Head of Radio, Viaplay Group and Nicola Bomio, Head of Radio, CH Media Entertainment.
Ensuring the best possible in-car experience for listeners remains vital, and Europe’s largest radio company Global is focusing on ensuring their radio stations look their best on the digital dashboard. Its Director of Technology, David Holroyd, will explain why metadata is so important and share what it is doing to get it right. The latest trends related to radio and audio in the car will also be updated by Diana Franganillo, from Strategy Analytics.
At a time of rapidly increasing electricity prices, new research into the energy consumption of DAB+ receivers will be presented by Edward Carlton from the Digital TV Group; and Helwin Lesch from Bayerischer Rundfunk in Bavaria will discuss how to manage distribution costs and the transition to DAB+.
Hosting the day is broadcaster Spencer Kelly, a respected technology presenter and computer scientist who’s been in the business for over 20 years. The Summit is an annual event organised by WorldDAB, the global industry forum for DAB digital radio, and this year takes place both in-person at Kings Place, London, and online, with registration now open.
President of WorldDAB, Patrick Hannon, said: “This is our first hybrid Summit – with many attending London in person, whilst others will be participating from afar. Wherever you are, the good news is that DAB is making strong progress in multiple markets. In Europe, almost all new cars now come with DAB+ as standard, Switzerland is preparing for its FM switch-off in 2024 and the UK is continuing its aggressive roll-out of small-scale DAB. We’ll be exploring all this and much more, across an informative and exciting day.”
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk