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ftm Radio Page - September 27, 2013

Have the early adopters been tapped out?
Another UK radio gap

Consumer uptake of digital radio in the UK has slowed to a crawl, reported media and telecom regulator Ofcom (September 25). Those interested in the new platforms, it seems, have already purchased a new device and the rest are not swayed by the highly promoted “main benefits.” By the end of this year the government will make a pronouncement regarding analogue radio shut-off.

For purpose of simplification – some say obfuscation – all non-analogue radio broadcasting platforms are considered part of the digital plan; set-top boxes, web radio all lumped together with the digital audio broadcasting (DAB) platform. Just under half the UK population (46%) have access to a DAB receiver, according to the Ofcom study. But a mere third (33.9%) of all radio listening hours in the 12 months ending this past June were broadly digital. One of the UK government’s decision points on analogue shut-off is passage beyond the 50% listening threshold. Among folks without a DAB receiver at home 14% said they are inclined to get one while 58% are not so inclined. (See more on digital radio here)

Most worrying for UK broadcasters is the dramatic decline of all receiver sales to 3.7 million units from 8.2 million five years ago. Indeed, DAB receiver sales have a growing share of that market, now 33% up from 20% back in 2008. DAB coverage is hardly an issue: the BBC’s national coverage of UK homes is 94.4%, national commercial channels 89.5% and local DAB multiplexes cover 71.9%. The terminally hip BBC 6Music is the most listened to DAB-only channel in the UK. (JMH)

Content quotas for radio affect music sales differently
Local language CD sales rises, downloads fall

An audit of Hungarian language music offered on radio channels shows a gradual yearly increase since the government legislated a 35% Hungarian content quota effective at the first of 2011. The Artisjus artist’s rights protection bureau estimates 32.37% Hungarian language content on Hungarian radio channels in 2012, up from 29.7% in 2011. In 2009, well before the quota law came into effect, the percentage of Hungarian language music on radio was 21.39%. Exempt from the law are certain local radio stations. (See more on media in Hungary here)

National radio channels, public and private, slightly exceed the quota on aggregate but Artisjus complained that some push Hungarian language music into non-prime hours. Television broadcasters use considerably more Hungarian language music by percentage, 51% of all music and 77% of live music. While overall CD sales has declined in concert with other countries the percentage of Hungarian language music sold in the physical format has risen to 70%, up from 47% in 2009.

Consumption of music online – considered a “very immature” market by Artisjus – is increasingly weak for Hungarian language music with just 15% of all downloads, falling from 47% in 2009. The agency blames a “very open minded, well-earning, young adult” audience as well as the difficulty of Hungarian language artists, producers and managers to break into the online platforms. (JMH)

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