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Last update: 06.04.2023 - older versions

DAB+ : a structural choice for the radio industry

Launched in 2014 in Paris, Nice and Marseille, DAB+ is now seen as critical to contribute to the future of radio and to address the saturation of FM. It is a means to preserve diversity and plurality. As DAB+ is reaching a turning point, the regulator, Arcom, is launching in 2023 a consultation with the radio industry which will include the switchover from FM to DAB+ both in the metropolitan area and overseas. The economics of radio are a key element of the expected white paper, as well as the potential acceleration of the deployment.

Deployment of DAB+

On 12 October 2021, France launched two new national multiplexes broadcasting 26 DAB+ stations, including national services from Radio France, leading private broadcasters and four new national services. The new multiplexes are broadcast along the major motorway corridors of Paris-Lyon-Marseille. The 26 services include four new DAB+ only stations and 22 stations that are also broadcast in FM. Extension to more main roads and highly populated areas is planned for the end of 2023. These 26 radios are in addition to the hundreds of radio stations already available regionally and locally on DAB+

The CSA rollout plan, the so-called "nodes and arcs strategy" described in 2017, which also includes continued regional and local rollouts alongside the launch of national services, was updated in 2021. It aims to bring population coverage in France well above 50% by the end of 2023.

Receiver legislation

Older pieces of legislation in France related to DAB+ in cars have been superseded by the transposition in November 2020 of the EECC into French legislation. This law passed the last stage and was made official in December 2020, with the transposition of the EECC into French law officially published on 28 May 2021. Domestic receivers, for which the reception function of radio services broadcast is not purely incidental, and have an alphanumeric screen, must be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio. Discussions are ongoing to make DAB+ mandatory in all receivers.

Last update: 06.04.2023 - older versions

As of March 2023, population coverage in France stands at 45%.

In December 2021, the French media regulator CSA, published an updated DAB+ roadmap highlighting DAB+ developments plans for the 2022-2024 period.

According to the new roadmap, calls for applications will be launched for 50 local allotments in that period of time – these primarily concerned the cities of Dijon, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Caen, Nancy, Paris, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Poitiers and Toulouse. An overseas trial has also been licensed in Martinique.

Last update: 06.04.2023 - older versions

In this country there are

on air.

Please note:

(a) These web pages are updated regularly to reflect current services on air, however they may not be exactly up to date.

(b) The logos shown on these pages are for illustrative purposes only – manufacturers and broadcasters are directed here for information on implementing station logos.

An interactive map showing all services currently on air in France, as well as those licensed to go on air, can be found at: Ma radio DAB Plus - CSA - Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel.

	Simulcast on AM / FM	Exclusive on digital	Total of services
DAB+ programmes	358	102	460

Last update: 16.02.2022 - older versions

In France, as of H2 2021, 90% of new cars sold are equipped with DAB+ as standard (Source: JATO Dynamics 2022).

Last update: 05.02.2021 - older versions

Receiver legislation

In December 2018 DAB+ coverage reached 21.3% of the French population, which triggered a law requiring that all radio receivers (including in-car) sold in France be compatible with the broadcasting standards (ie DAB+). This 2018 law was amended in June 2020 to align with the EECC deadline of 20 December 2020.

In November 2020, the French parliament voted in favour of a law to transpose the EECC into French legislation. This law passed the last stage and was made official in December 2020, enabling the government to take a final decree which is expected by early 2021. The decree will confirm that new passenger cars in France will be required to include digital terrestrial radio from 20 December 2020, in line with the EECC. Additional obligations regarding consumer receivers have yet to be agreed and may also be included in that decree enacting the EECC.

More detailed information is in the WorldDAB EECC Factsheet.

Last update: 02.10.2018 - older versions

40,000 households in eastern Paris can now receive DAB as part of a test by Towercast. Radio France is broadcasting their portfolio of radio stations on that trial.

There is one trial local multiplex in East Paris and one trial local multiplex on air in Rambouillet. One of the 5 DAB+ stations on air in Rambouillet are available exclusively via DAB+ digital radio (not on FM).

Several stations offer Slideshow services (SLS).

Last update: 13.06.2022 - older versions

The Regulator (ARCOM - previously CSA) refers to a “Nodes and Arcs” phase of DAB+ rollout bringing DAB+ coverage to the 50 largest cities and to the highways connecting them. The target completion date is end of 2022. Then the so-called “Percolation Phase” will cover the lower density regions.

Four calls for applications are expected by end of 2023 to reach 50 smaller cities and their surrounding areas. From the point of view of enhancing the digital radio experience for consumers, the CSA initiated a forum with French broadcasters to discuss the DAB+ user experience.

DAB+ regulation in France is outlined on the French Media regulator's website here.

The 2021 annual report of the CSA / ARCOM which includes substantial information about the deployment of DAB+ in France is available to download here.

Last update: 05.02.2021 - older versions

DABplus.fr

The website DABplus.fr was set up to summarise the deployment of DAB+ in France. It is paid by and for stakeholders of DAB+ in France. www.DABplus.fr

Consumer Marketing

French broadcasters are developing a marketing strategy in preparation for the national launch of DAB+. The work involves collaboration between all broadcaster groups - Radio France, the large private broadcasters as well as independent radios.

Arcom spotlights digital radio at "Fête de la Radio"

01.06.2023 - Top story - France

The "Fête de la Radio" is back for a third edition on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 June 2023. As in the first two editions, these two days will be an opportunity for radio stations and listeners alike to rally round this medium, which plays a key role in the daily lives of the French. This year DAB+ will be in the spotlight for Arcom, with the aim of raising awareness of all the advantages of digital radio. Following its deployment in cities such as Paris, Marseille, Tours and La Roche-sur-Yon, DAB+ will pass the symbolic milestone of covering 50% of the French population this summer. A trial is also underway in the French overseas territories.

(Arcom) Read more

Replay News broadcasts on DAB+ on the Côte d'Azur

26.05.2023 - France

Replay News, "France's 24/7 news radio station," is continuing its expansion by now offering its terrestrial broadcast on DAB+ in Monaco and several towns on the Côte d'Azur. This new initiative marks an important step in the development of Replay News, which has established itself since its creation in 2018 "as one of the strong players in the French radio landscape". With its slogan "La radio de l'info toutes les 5 minutes", Replay News, published by Public Santé, has become one of the most listened-to radio stations in France.

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

Nantes: Sun hosts DAB+ training

11.05.2023 - France

FRAP (Fédération des radios associatives en Pays de la Loire) is offering a two-day training course to understand the technical and strategic challenges of DAB+ on 15 and 16 June 2023 in Nantes. At the end of the course, trainees will be able to define a development strategy for their radio station using digital broadcasting tools. Pierre Boucard is the founder and director of SUN, an association radio station operating on six FM/DAB+ frequencies in the Pays de la Loire region. Pierre has spent the last twenty years developing DAB+ in France.

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

Draft French broadcast bill: DAB+ in all new receivers

04.05.2023 - France

Laurent Lafon, the centrist chairman of the Senate's culture committee, detailed on Tuesday a bill on "the reform of public broadcasting and audiovisual sovereignty". Article 15 is concerned with making it compulsory for radio sets to receive digital terrestrial radio using the DAB+ standard, and with providing that all new vehicles must also be able to receive digital terrestrial radio using the same standard. The text supported by the Senate majority should be put on the Senate agenda for first reading in the week of 12 June, said Mr Lafon.

(CB News) Read more

Draft broadcasting law: SIRTI welcomes bill, calls for measures to protect radio in digital world

03.05.2023 - France

Laurent Lafon, Senator and President of the Senate's Committee on Culture, Education and Communication, has tabled a bill on the reform of public broadcasting and audiovisual sovereignty. SIRTI welcomes the integration of measures that it has long supported concerning terrestrial radio, whether analogue or digital, which is recognised as an essential factor of sovereignty. Article 15 of the bill requires the integration of the DAB+ standard alongside FM in all radios marketed within 12 months of the law's promulgation. The bill also makes it compulsory for new cars to have an FM/DAB+ radio receiver. This is an important step forward, as almost half of all radio listening is done in the car.

(SIRTI) Read more

Radio Laser goes DAB+ in Guichen

26.04.2023 - France

Digital terrestrial radio is gradually being rolled out in France with DAB+ and Radio Laser is embarking on the digital adventure. Radio Laser broadcasts using FM within a 40 km radius of Guichen. However, some areas of Rennes are poorly served, due to the large number of buildings. "With DAB+, the whole of the urban area will be able to receive our programmes with good quality," explains Sylvain Delfau, director of Radio Laser.

(Ouest-France) Read more

A new radio festival in June

25.04.2023 - France

For two days, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 June, radio stations and listeners will celebrate the medium. The French stations will allow listeners to discover all the facets of radio, from its broadcasting to its reception, whether it is analogue or digital, live or recorded. On the occasion of the third edition of the Fête de la Radio, Arcom will organise a morning of discussions on the challenges facing the radio medium on Friday 16 June from 08:30 to 12:30 with Roch-Olivier Maistre, President of Arcom, and Hervé Godechot, President of the Arcom "Radio and Digital Audio" working group.

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

Three new DAB+ transmitters for the Pyrenees

18.04.2023 - France

French regional broadcaster - Pyrénées FM - this week celebrated its arrival on DAB+ in the Pyrénées-Orientales at a reception organised in the Palais des Congrès in Perpignan. In his speech, the founding president Jean Clergue expressed his interest in the development of DAB radio and affirmed his desire to promote this new technology. Pyrénées FM, already on air on DAB+ in the cities of Toulouse and Perpignan, will soon launch two additional transmitters in Pau and Bayonne.

(La Lettre Pro) Read more

Le Figaro invests in DAB+ radio

13.04.2023 - France

On Wednesday, the press group, headed by Marc Feuillée, announced the launch on Monday 17 April of its two new channels Le Figaro TV Île-de-France and Le Figaro Radio, which will complement its online offering Le Figaro Live created in 2017. Le Figaro Radio is broadcast on DAB+ in Paris, Marseille and Nice, then rolled out to other cities. Le Figaro Radio "wishes to offer a place for analysis and insight, in order to better understand today's debates," said Laurence de Charette, deputy editorial director in charge of audiovisual and social networks.

(Le Figaro) Read more

DAB+. The new digital technology that can change the way radio stations are broadcast

03.04.2023 - France

Digital terrestrial radio makes its debut in Brittany. In Rennes and its surroundings, 13 radio stations are now available in DAB+. Radio Laser was looking forward to it. It is now a reality. Since 28 March the small radio station, based in Guichen, 25 km from Rennes, has been using DAB+ technology to broadcast its programmes. "We're in the short news cycle, so it's important for us to make ourselves known, and DAB+ is a new way for people to listen to us," says Sylvain Delfau, the director of Radio Laser.

(France Info) Read more

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Paris Radio Show highlights DAB+ growth

16.06.2022

All parts of the French radio industry came together to celebrate the medium at the second edition of the Fete de la Radio during the Paris Radio Show, held at La Seine Musicale earlier this month. Will Jackson & Jean-Marc Dubreuil look back at the digital radio highlights of the event.

Read more
Major new milestone for DAB+ in France on 12 October

06.10.2021

Seven years after the commercial launch of DAB+ in Paris, Nice and Marseille, a major step change in the deployment of DAB+ in France takes place on 12 October 2021. 25 national radios stations (19 commercial, 6 public) will launch, covering the major motorway corridors of Paris-Lyon-Marseille.

Read more
France – DAB+ strategic for broadcast, despite drop in advertising revenues

23.04.2020

Despite consumers’ increasing interest in DAB+, broadcasters in France are now facing a uncertain future caused by the coronavirus outbreak and drop in advertising revenues. However, new DAB+ services continue to launch in the country, with regional DAB+ services set to launch in Bordeaux and Toulouse in the summer.

Read more

DAB+ gets a boost in France: CSA announces a clear and detailed plan

08.01.2018

Just after Christmas French regulator, the CSA, announced its plan for the acceleration of DAB+ rollouts in France. In this blog, Jean-Marc Dubreuil, Country Manager, France, at WorldDAB, explains the key points from the consultation and the CSA’s proposals.

Read more

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Key Information

Status:	regular
Population:	65.2 million
Population coverage:	45%
Services:	460 DAB+
Line-fit automotive sales (cumulative):	4,168,000 devices
New cars with DAB/DAB+ as standard:	90%
Total Sales (cumulative):	5,428,000 devices
Penetration by household:	13%
Last update: 06.04.2023