News

Mediemyndigheten (Swedish Media Authority) has announced which companies have been granted licences to broadcast DAB+ on the two commercial radio networks. One licence has been awarded to Aftonbladet, two to Bauer Media, two to DB Media, twelve to Viaplay Radio (Kilohertz AB), three to Mad Men Media, two to NRJ, one to Go Country (Prodraft) and one to Skärgårdsradion. A total of 30 applications were received. The Media Authority has allocated the channels to the two DAB+ networks. Transmitter Network 3 is operated by Bauer Media and covers approximately 40 per cent of the population. Transmitter Network 4 is operated by Viaplay Radio in conjunction with Teracom and covers 65 per cent of the population.

Local broadcasters can now launch a second radio station on DAB+. The RDI opened the application process for this on Tuesday. The umbrella organisation NLPO sees added value in themed channels and local editions, but warns against over-enthusiasm. For instance, both stations must independently comply with the ICE standard (sufficient local information, culture and education). Across the 57 local allotments, a total of eighteen slots are available for both public and commercial radio stations. A quarter of these more than one thousand digital broadcasting slots have now been taken, although in 38 allotments only five or fewer licences have been granted. Licences are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Digital terrestrial radio continues to be rolled out across Occitanie, with several transmitters now operational along the A64. Today, the roll-out is accelerating dramatically with operators Towercast and TDF (Télédiffusion de France). Along the A64, new transmitters have just been brought into service by TDF in Toulouse, Noé, Boussens and Lannemezan. Thanks to these installations, network coverage for national radio stations has increased from 50% to 70% across all of France’s motorways. Generally, DAB+ antennas are installed on existing masts. But to make the most of the space and avoid a “forest” of antennas, TDF is breaking new ground. Sophie Saffores, regional director, explains that it is now possible to use a single physical structure to broadcast both FM and DAB+.

Since 1 June, the SchlagerMax web radio station has also been available via DAB+ in Rostock. The station has been added to the local DAB+ multiplex for Rostock (channel 10A), thereby expanding its reach beyond its previous internet-only service. SchlagerMax had already received approval for digital terrestrial broadcasting on 28 January 2026. This was based on a decision by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Media Authority (MMV), which approved the station as a non-commercial service.By moving to DAB+, SchlagerMax is now also reaching listeners without internet access, whilst at the same time enhancing the diversity of the Rostock local multiplex. In addition to SchlagerMax, the multiplex also features the non-commercial Radio Lohro.

Participants in the panel on the digitization of radio broadcasting agreed that digital radio lacks government support in the form of an information campaign or a ban on the sale of radio receivers without a digital tuner. “We were pleasantly surprised that all the digital radio broadcasting networks we managed to acquire through auction have actually begun broadcasting and met the development criteria,” said Jiří Duchač, head of the Frequency Spectrum Management Department at the Czech Telecommunications Office. To ensure this continues, the state should support emerging digital radio stations, which face the same costs as established commercial players—such as fees to copyright collecting societies.

For Fête de la radio, your favourite presenters are rallying behind DAB+. You listen to them every morning, every evening, in the car or in the kitchen. To mark Radio Day, your favourite presenters are coming together with a shared goal: to introduce you to DAB+, the new way to listen to the radio. All these familiar voices have come together in a series of videos to explain, in simple terms, what DAB+ means for you. A rare show of unity, befitting the revolution currently underway: across France, radio is switching to DAB+. Radio stations, united under the banner of ‘Ensemble pour le DAB+’, are launching one of the largest campaigns ever undertaken to raise awareness of this new way of listening.

Radio stations will get clearer DAB carriage pricing under a new Ofcom licence condition. Ofcom has confirmed that local and national digital radio multiplex operators will have to publish up to date rate cards showing indicative payments for carriage on their services. The change follows a consultation on how to implement new requirements introduced by the Media Act 2024, which placed a duty on Ofcom to require more transparency around payments made by radio stations to multiplex operators. The regulator says the new condition will apply to the holders of local and national multiplex licences, with the published prices intended to act as a starting point for commercial negotiations rather than a fixed tariff.

Martin Ajdari, President of Arcom, spoke at Assises de la radio. "Resistance is good, but resilience is even better. This is the challenge facing the transformation and modernisation of the sector and its distribution, starting with DAB+, the benefits of which need no detailed elaboration: sound quality, a wide range of services, and, above all, the absence of a technical intermediary between broadcaster and listener, which is important in a world of proprietary interfaces... Today, 80% of the population is covered, including all towns with over 50,000 inhabitants, as well as 10,000 km of motorway and virtually all of Brittany’s dual carriageways. This is a remarkable achievement, but it is not enough, as demonstrated by the fact that awareness and ownership rates have plateaued at around 35%, which is insufficient."

“We are already very well positioned in central Germany when it comes to DAB+ reception. The focus now is on closing individual coverage gaps and optimising the reception of all MDR radio programmes via DAB+ as a whole,” said Niels Schulze, Head of Programme Distribution at MDR. With the commissioning of the Salzwedel site, MDR is continuing to expand its DAB+ transmitter network. In the Salzwedel urban area, digital radio reception inside buildings is now possible for the first time for around 14,000 residents. In the region around Salzwedel, digital radio reception inside buildings is also being further improved and stabilised for a total of around 28,000 residents.

egta, the international trade body for multiplatform TV and audio businesses, has joined Radio Ready, the global industry-wide campaign focused on ensuring radio remains accessible, prominent and easy to discover in connected cars. The move brings broadcasters, advertisers and media companies together behind a shared goal: keeping radio easy for listeners to find and use as cars become increasingly connected. Radio Ready was established as a unified response by the broadcasting industry to shifts in the in-car entertainment environment. While in-car radio remains vital to drivers and passengers, the way it is accessed is changing, with increasingly complex entertainment systems creating new challenges for discovery, visibility and ease of use.