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1 January 2031 target date to stop FM broadcasts in Flanders

20.05.2024 - Belgium Belgium

1 January 2031 will be the target date to switch off radio listening via FM. By then, we will all have to listen digitally, either via DAB+, internet or digital TV. That is what a study by Imec-mict-UGent and BrightWolves commissioned by Media Minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) reveals. To be able to switch off FM, the study proposes the following criteria: the digital listening volume must be at least 65 per cent, at least 60 per cent of the Flemish car fleet must be equipped with a DAB+ receiver (by the end of 2023, this was 29 per cent) and the group listening exclusively via FM must not exceed 20 per cent of the Flemish population. According to the researchers' predictions, all these criteria will be reached during 2028, making 1 January 2031 seem a realistic date to switch off FM. The switch-off date should be communicated at least 2 years in advance, according to the study.

(VRT NWS) Read more