DAB+ plus listening in Australia has reached another milestone number, as GfK has announced that there are now 3.52 million listeners of DAB+ in the five metropolitan capital cities. The organization’s latest digital radio report, released at the end of June, said that 168,000 listeners were added in the first quarter of 2016.
One factor in that growth, according to Commercial Radio Australia, was the growth of in-car listening of DAB+. An estimated 91,900 vehicles were sold that came with DAB+. More brands of cars are also starting to add DAB+ radios, with the new Honda Civic model including it. As of the report, 553,000 vehicles sold in Australia have DAB+ radio.
GfK reports that 26.3 percent of Australians have listened to DAB+ so far in 2016, with a total of 2.62 million listening to AM/FM simulcasts, and 1.42 million listening to digital only stations. Digital radio is most popular in Melbourne, listened to by 27.5 percent of the population, followed by Sydney, with 25.8 percent of its population listening.
In the coming months, Australia will add EON Sports Radio on DAB+, a 24/7 digital sports radio network.