 UK company axes DAB stations, Net radio cited as factor ·Feb 15, 12:42 PM From CNet UK’s Crave: British commercial radio company GCap Media has decided to axe two DAB stations — theJazz and Planet Rock — despite almost a million listeners, claiming that DAB was “not economically viable.” Together, the two axed stations had 927,000 listeners, but FM’s retention of followers, combined with the growing popularity of Internet radio simulcasts, has hindered DAB’s growth. Last September, the British trade body DRDB — Digital Radio Development Bureau — forecast household DAB penetration to hit 40% by 2009, and almost 60% by 2011. Perhaps with the continuing rise of Internet radio and the increasing uptake of broadband in the UK, these figures could be significantly lower than anticipated… Our eyes will be closely following DAB’s movement in 2008. We’re not convinced that it’s about to crumble beneath our feet, but it’s certainly in for a rough ride as more content becomes on-demand — such as podcasts — and with more programs being simultaneously broadcast over the Internet. Read the entire article at CNet UK. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
