Posted by Irish on February 12, 2017 at 09:36:07:
In Reply to: Why did IBOC fail in the US? posted by Moving on on February 10, 2017 at 13:17:48:
Ibiquity, which oversaw the whole HD Radio concept and owned the technology, was way too greedy with licensing. They tried to squeeze as much money from stations and manufacturers who used the technology, when they should have encouraged freer use to encourage heavier adoption. As a result, many station owners and manufacturers dragged their feet, creating a chicken-and-egg dilemma: Why should a company make HD Radios when there's no content? And why should broadcasters use the technology when there's no equipment to hear it? As a result, HD Radio has been used to feed translators, gain more favorable music royalty rates for webcast streams (like on iHeartRadio), barter with religious broadcasters for translators, and provide some sort of FM outlet for AM sister stations. At least this has helped HD Radio somewhat, but it probably would have done better if Ibiquity would have been focused more on widespread adoption, rather than milking it for every possible penny.