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The 10th annual Infinite Dial results show that podcast listening continues to grow in Australia. Last year 42% of Australians listened to or watched a podcast episode each week. In 2026 we are at 45%. Infinite Dial also showed the healthy state of total radio with 77% of Australians listening to AM, FM and DAB+, broadcast or streaming in a week. That was the highest percentage compared to NZ, the US and UK. 77% of Australians listened to total radio in a week, that includes AM, FM and DAB+ – broadcast or streaming. That is the highest percentage compared to NZ, the US and UK. In Australia, total radio is the dominant in-car audio choice, with 82% tuning in weekly and 60% tuning into commercial radio – ahead of music streaming (52%).

Broadcast radio’s place in the connected dashboard is no longer guaranteed. Keeping that place will require unified industry standards and relentless education of automakers. Radio today competes against streaming apps for in-vehicle real estate. In this competitive context, “Radio can’t be taken for granted,” warned Gregor Pötzsch of CARIAD, VW Group and chair of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Committee. “If you can’t find it, you can’t use it." To address this problem, WorldDAB’s user experience guidelines provide automakers and broadcasters with clear, research-backed design rules for delivering the best possible in-car digital radio interfaces.

Global sales of DAB and DAB+ receivers have surpassed 166 million units, according to new figures unveiled at WorldDAB Automotive 2026 in Frankfurt. The new figure was announced alongside new international consumer research which confirmed that broadcast radio is a core part of the in-car experience which drivers still expect to be present, easy to find and simple to use. The findings underline why DAB+ matters as the modern digital broadcast foundation for radio in connected cars.

The popularity of electric vehicles is putting radio’s foothold in the car at risk. Those were the words of Lizzie Young, the CEO of Commercial Radio and Audio, the association representing Australia’s major commercial radio networks. Young spoke at WorldDAB Automotive 2026 on June 11, in Frankfurt, Germany. WorldDAB is the global body that promotes the DAB/DAB+ digital radio standard. She described EV penetration in Australia as a sudden escalation. The market is being driven by skyrocketing fuel costs, Young explained, which are in turn exacerbated by ongoing geopolitical conflicts. Those factors have pushed Australian EV adoption to record highs over the last year, she explained.

WorldDAB says the latest sales figures for DAB/DAB+ receivers show strong growth. “Global sales of DAB and DAB+ receivers have surpassed 166 million units, according to new figures unveiled at WorldDAB Automotive 2026 in Frankfurt,” the organization said. “The new figure was announced alongside new international consumer research which confirmed that broadcast radio is a core part of the in-car experience which drivers still expect to be present, easy to find and simple to use. The findings underline why DAB+ matters as the modern digital broadcast foundation for radio in connected cars.” The organization said sales across 11 core markets now total 166.6 million devices, with growth of more than 10% since the previous report early last year.

When the daily news cycle consists of natural disasters, economic disruptions and military conflicts, Sibyle Veil believes that keeping radio accessible — particularly in cars — is of the utmost importance. That was the message the Radio France CEO and chair of the EBU Radio Committee delivered during her keynote address at WorldDAB Automotive 2026. The annual event, hosted by the global organization that promotes the DAB+ broadcast radio standard, was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 11. “The discussions you are having today go far beyond the radio and automotive sectors alone because the connected car is becoming one of the main gateways to information, culture, and public debate,” Veil explained.

Modern drivers want radios in their dashboards. That was the primary and unshakable finding shared by researchers at WorldDAB Automotive 2026. The annual event, which is hosted by the WorldDAB advocacy organization, was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 11. It included a presentation from the London-based Fifty5Blue, formerly Kantar Media, which is a media measurement and analytics firm that said it operates in approximately 80 countries. Ultimately, the message Fifty5Blue conveyed is that the six-country study proves that car buyers not only want radio in the dashboard — they are demanding it. Julie Soulsby, Fifty5Blue’s director of insight, said the study surveyed 8,000 recent buyers across Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.

Broadcasters, automotive manufacturers, technology suppliers, receiver makers and policymakers gathered in Frankfurt on 11 June for WorldDAB Automotive 2026, the annual event focused on the future of radio in the connected vehicle. Opening the conference, WorldDAB president Jacqueline Bierhorst described the car dashboard as a rapidly evolving software-driven environment shaped by apps, platforms, voice assistants and connected services, while arguing that broadcast radio remains a core element of the in-car experience. “Broadcast radio remains one of the most important and valued media in the car,” Bierhorst said. “It’s immediate, it’s trusted, it’s familiar and easy to use.”

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has invited nominations for 10 members to serve on its new Digital Sound Broadcasting Technical Advisory Group (DTAG), as provided for under the Digital Sound Broadcasting Services Regulations, 2021. Seats are reserved across public, commercial and community sound broadcasters, alongside individual and class electronic communications network service licensees, with two representatives drawn from each group. The group's brief includes work on a frequency plan for DSB multiplexers, a review of the Terrestrial Broadcasting Frequency Plan, and development of a licensing framework, type approval process and national standard for DSB radio in South Africa.

Dr Amal Punchihewa writes: With the theme “Shaping Media Revolution & Production Beyond Boundaries”, BroadcastAsia 2026 reaffirmed its place as a significant fixture in the Asian broadcast and media calendar. On the second day of the BroadcastAsia 2026 conference, the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society moderated a dedicated radio session. The session examined how digital radio and new creative formats are now enabling universal, inclusive, and resilient services for audiences. Discussion centred on four key areas: geo-location-based automatic safety alert systems; thinking beyond audio and service discovery; enhancing listener engagement; and the convergence of broadcast radio and IP to deliver a richer listening experience, although the conversation ranged well beyond these themes.