comScore
Active Stocks
Fri Sep 29 2023 15:59:14
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 129 1.78%
  1. NTPC share price
  2. 245.65 3.3%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 199.85 -0.45%
  1. State Bank Of India share price
  2. 598.7 1.48%
  1. Wipro share price
  2. 406.25 0.11%
Business News/ Industry / Media/  Govt may push digital radio adoption in upcoming FM spectrum auction
Back

Govt may push digital radio adoption in upcoming FM spectrum auction

The I&B ministry is working with industry stakeholders, including private radio players, auto and phone manufacturers to understand and enable the scope of adopting digital radio services in India, which can help advertisers and revive revenues for radio operators in India

Radio revenues are expected to grow to $327.7 million. MintPremium
Radio revenues are expected to grow to $327.7 million. Mint

NEW DELHI : The government may host the third round of spectrum auction for the frequency modulation (FM) radio industry “within the next six to eight months", and a policy decision on promoting digital radio in the country could be taken by then, said Apurva Chandra, information and broadcasting secretary.

“The I&B ministry is working with industry stakeholders, including private radio players, auto and phone manufacturers to understand and enable the scope of adopting digital radio services in India, which can help advertisers and revive revenues for radio operators in India," Chandra said in an interview on the sidelines of an event organized by the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA).

On Thursday, the ICEA, in partnership with consulting firm EY India published a report, titled ‘Digital Radio Broadcast in India’. According to the report, while the Indian radio industry clocked annual revenues of $390.7 million in 2019, the impact of the pandemic saw the industry’s ad-driven revenues more than halve to $176.4 million in 2020. By the end of this calendar year, revenue could grow to $226.9 million.

ICEA and EY expect radio revenues to grow to $327.7 million by 2026, based on its current trajectory of analog FM radio broadcasts. However, this would still be below pre-pandemic levels. With greater adoption of digital radio, the industry could clock up to $756 million in revenues by 2026, a more than twofold jump from its expected revenue trajectory.

Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman, ICEA, said, at the launch of the report, that adopting digital radio is not a cost intensive task for broadcasters. “The industry needs a push to bring in receivers that are compatible with digital radio transmissions. The mobile phone industry could play a major role in this, and a starting point of around 50 million devices for digital radio broadcasters to target could be viable," he added.

"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shouvik Das
Shouvik Das is a science, space and technology reporter for Mint and TechCircle. In his previous stints, he worked at publications such as CNN-News18 and Outlook Business. He has also reported on consumer technology and the automobile sector.
Catch all the Industry News, Banking News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Updated: 05 Aug 2022, 11:41 AM IST
Next Story
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App