All five major hearing aid manufacturers now offer devices supporting Auracast™ broadcast audio, Bluetooth SIG said today, allowing compatible hearing aids to receive broadcasts directly at equipped public venues. The manufacturers collectively represent approximately 90 percent of the worldwide hearing aid market, according to the group. Bluetooth SIG says users can receive assistive audio through compatible hearing aids without borrowing extra equipment from the venue.
Starkey, Sonova and Demant are among the manufacturers offering support, alongside GN and WS Audiology. Receiving that audio depends on both a compatible hearing device and a location equipped to broadcast it, so manufacturer adoption is only part of making the service accessible. Bluetooth SIG says the standard allows hearing aids made by one company to receive broadcasts through infrastructure supplied by another.
Venue installations already include Stadium Taranaki in New Zealand, an outdoor facility with 21,000 seats that has deployed an Auracast™ solution. Also in New Zealand, Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal is adopting the technology for a venue presenting dance, comedy, concerts and theatre. Bluetooth SIG also identifies MOVIX, the Japanese cinema chain run by Shochiku Multiplex Theaters with 20 locations nationwide, among its deployment examples.
Healthcare settings provide further examples, including New Zealand hearing care provider Resonate Health and SONEO Hörgeräte in Saarland, Germany. More broadly, Bluetooth SIG identifies installations at universities and places of worship as well as entertainment and clinical sites. It describes public audio needs ranging from transport announcements to university lectures and stadium commentary as uses the technology can serve.
The receiving devices extend beyond hearing aids to compatible headphones, earbuds and assistive listening receivers. Bluetooth SIG says compatible consumer electronics, including smartphones and TVs, also participate in the broader Auracast™ broadcast audio ecosystem. The group argues that sharing the technology across everyday consumer devices can reduce the stigma associated with hearing assistance.
Bluetooth SIG contrasts the approach with earlier assistive listening systems that often depended on dedicated receivers, proprietary technology or specialized infrastructure. Citing World Health Organization projections, it says nearly 2.5 billion people could have some degree of hearing loss by 2050, approximately a quarter of the global population. More than 700 million people are expected to need hearing rehabilitation services, according to those projections.
