BBC not yet ready to abandon analogue radio

The BBC has confirmed that it will continue to provide analogue transmissions, with the government yet to decide upon a date for the adoption of digital radio.

Tim Davie, BBC director of audio and music said: “We should be selling radios with DAB and FM [reception] so that they are future-proof”, speaking at a digital radio conference in London.

Adding that the case for digital is becoming clearer, Davie underlined the need for radio manufacturers to continue to include analogue reception in newly-built devices.

The latest figures reveal that digital radio listening is growing by 11% year-on-year, and 29.2% of all radio listening takes place through DAB devices, online or via digital TVs.

Of all digital listening platforms, DAB remains the most popular, constituting 65.2% of all digital hours; digital TVs make up 8% while online listening reached 7% in the Q1 figures for this year.

In order for a “digital date” to be mandated by the government, the digital figure must reach 50%. Some analysts have predicted that the digital adoption date could be as late as 2020, having originally been predicted for 2013 and subsequently 2015.