Sound Digital

Sound Digital is a semi-national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva, Bauer Media Group and News Broadcasting. The multiplex covers 73% of the population from a total of 45 transmitters.

History
Following the collapse of the winning 4 Digital Group bid for the second national ensemble in 2008, the capacity was re-advertised in 2014. Two bids were received, Sound Digital and Listen2Digital, a consortium run by Orion Media and Babcock International Group. On 27 March 2015, Sound Digital were selected as the winner.

Between award and launch, Premier Praise and Panjab Radio, a Listen2Digital station, joined the line up along with DAB+ stations Fun Kids and Magic Chilled. Also, BMR and UCB Inspirational were rebranded Awesome Radio and UCB2 respectively and TalkBusiness was replaced by Listen2Digital station Share Radio.

Test transmission commenced in February 2016, which consisted of Sound Waves and Sound Waves+ for DAB and DAB+ respectively. An official launch took place on 29 February, with the majority of stations launching on this date and the remainder following over the next month.

On 15 May 2018, Sound Digital announced the planned introduction of additional 19 transmitters – to improve coverage in the South West, East Anglia, Wales and North of Scotland – increasing the multiplex's coverage to 83%, adding nearly 4 million new listeners in more than 1.6m new households.

DAB+
In September 2023 Bauer announced that Mellow Magic, Planet Rock, Scala Radio, Absolute 80s and Absolute 90s would transition to DAB+ from that October, freeing up capacity for the addition of Absolute Radio Country, Absolute Classic Rock, Magic Chilled, Magic Soul, Magic at the Musicals, Heat Radio and Kerrang! Radio to the Sound Digital lineup.

Former services
Services previously carried on the multiplex include:


 * Awesome Radio - never fully launched, promo barker ran from launch of SDL until removal in August 2017
 * Fun Kids - removed 31 August 2023. However the station continues to broadcast on local DAB multiplexes in selected areas of the UK.
 * Heat Radio - removed February 2019
 * JACK Radio - replaced by Union JACK Dance in December 2020
 * Kisstory - moved to Digital One in February 2019
 * Love Sport - removed late 2020
 * Panjab Radio - moved to local DAB in December 2019
 * Share Radio - moved to online-only service May 2017
 * UCB2 - moved to Digital One as a DAB+ service in March 2022
 * Union JACK - launched on 9 September 2016, removed on 24 February 2022
 * Union JACK Dance - launched on 10 December 2020, removed on 24 February 2022
 * Union JACK Rock - launched on 10 December 2020, removed on 24 February 2022