SBS announced that audiences in Canberra and Darwin will now have access to a range of new radio stations with the launch of digital radio (DAB+) services. The introduction of DAB+ services in Darwin and Canberra will be on a par with the digital services offered to audiences in the other five state capitals.
Additional SBS’s national radio programs, listeners can also tune in to the digital-only stations including SBS Arabic24, SBS PopAsia, and SBS PopDesi
In the Canberra market, certain ABC and SBS services are currently provided on a trial basis and audiences will need to retune their DAB + receivers on 8 January 2018 to ensure they enjoy the available new range of ABC and SBS Radio services.
SBS (Acting) Director of Audio and Language Content, Pip Spilsbury said, “We are thrilled to be launching permanent digital services in Darwin and Canberra and extending SBS’s reach to more audiences. During the trial phase, listeners could previously tune in to limited services provided by SBS Radio. With the permanent installation and higher power transmissions, our audiences can now enjoy the complete range provided by SBS Radio services including – SBS Radio 1, SBS Radio 2, SBS Arabic24, and music stations – SBS Chill, SBS PopDesi and SBS PopAsia.”
The benefits of DAB+ services include:
- Tuning by station name
- Pause, rewind and record options
- Exceptional sound quality compared to AM/FM analogue services
- Additional text information on songs and artists as well as news and weather updates
There are more than 230 DAB+ digital receivers available in the market in all shapes and sizes with an array of functions. Some receivers are DAB+ only and some have FM services included.
