Bluetooth LE Audio, Auracast™ Broadcast
Audio, and the Future of
Bluetooth Audio

ABI Research anticipates that wider adoption of Auracast™ broadcast audio will begin to take shape in 2025. At that point, the technology will be more well known, transmitter devices will be freely available, and the installed base of Bluetooth LE Audio-enabled devices will reach a significant figure. For example, whereas just five percent of smartphones shipping in 2022 are expected to support Bluetooth LE Audio, by 2027, this is expected to be around 90 percent. Therefore, the industry can expect rapid uptake in Auracast™ broadcast audio deployments to take place in the latter half of the decade, driven initially by silent TV and augmented/assistive listening use cases in public venues.

Given these factors, there will be almost 2.5 million Auracast™ broadcast audio deployments globally by 2030. Public assembly buildings, such as cinemas and theaters, museums, transportation hubs, meeting halls, and gyms, among others, will lead the charge, accounting for 42 percent of the deployments. This will be followed by places of worship, restaurants and food service establishments, and lodging venues (e.g., hotels and nursing homes). ABI Research expects silent TV and augmented/assistive listening use cases in public venues to drive initial adoption. In public assembly buildings, all five major use cases will be relevant; however, by 2030, the majority will come from silent TV screens, assistive listening, and multi-language support. Deployments in places of worship will center upon assistive listening use cases, while food service establishment deployments will be led by silent TV screens in bars and other venues.

One of the larger, but longer-term opportunities for Auracast™ broadcast audio will be found within one-to-one or counter-based assistive listening applications. Today, hearing loop solutions can be found in a wide range of public service counters or reception desks within retail and hospitality, healthcare settings, cinemas, banks, post offices, educational campuses, and government and public buildings, among many others. However, the initial focus for Auracast™ broadcast audio has been very much on the larger-scale broadcast applications and less on the private, one-to-one solutions. It will likely be several years before these one-to-one solutions are available in significant volumes.