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A Radio World ebook, “Global Radio Update,” explores trends across the industry and in various countries. This article is a companion piece. Vincent Sneed is senior EU policy advisor at the European Broadcast Union. Sneed says: "Until recently, it wasn’t thinkable that a car could come without broadcast radio installed. But we are now seeing some models being tested on the market — even though people still expect a radio receiver in their car, as noted in a WorldDAB-commissioned study. This is what has convinced the EBU members to ask for an amendment to the DNA so that “all vehicles must include analog and digital broadcast radio receivers.”

In the latest of this year's series of short interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2026, Gabriel Loyácono, Director, Gsertel says the company will be showcasing RCS Radio, its newest monitoring platform. Gsertel develops measurement and monitoring technologies for the broadcast industry, supporting both digital radio and television operators.

For years, DAB+ has been hailed as the future of radio. Today, however, the first figures are beginning to emerge that show how this technology can already support the growth of new editorial projects. Among the most interesting cases emerging from the Audiradio 2026 data is that of Urban Radio, a station dedicated to hip-hop, R&B and urban culture, which has built a large part of its audience precisely through digital terrestrial radio. According to Audiradio’s half-yearly mobile report (27 January – 22 June 2026), Urban Radio recorded: 13,000 listeners on an average day; 61,000 listeners over a seven-day period. These figures, beyond their absolute value, take on particular significance when viewed in the context of radio distribution.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by the General Directorate of Standards and Metrology, has announced an update to Gulf Technical Regulation No. (GSO 2693:2026) concerning the technical specifications for terrestrial audio radio receivers (T-DAB+/ FM/AM), in joint coordination and fruitful cooperation with a specialised working group comprising the Ministry of Information, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Defence. This forms part of the Sultanate’s ongoing efforts to support the comprehensive digital transformation process and build a sustainable knowledge-based economy in line with the objectives of the ‘Oman 2040’ Vision.

The Flemish, French and German-speaking Communities have reached a joint position on radio reception in new cars. Belgium will therefore advocate, during the European negotiations on the Digital Networks Act, for the retention of radio reception in new cars, so that drivers do not become solely dependent on internet radio and streaming services.“The car must not become a closed streaming platform. Anyone who wants to listen to the radio whilst on the move must be able to do so directly: without a subscription, without using mobile data and without having to search through all sorts of apps first. That is why it is important that we take a united stance with the three communities: radio must remain available in new cars,” say Flemish Minister for Media Cieltje Van Achter, French-speaking Minister for Media Jacqueline Galant and German-speaking Minister for Media Gregor Freches.

BYD (H.K.) CO., Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, and Xperi Inc., has announced that BYD has adopted DTS AutoStage as its exclusive in‑car media platform, bringing advanced audio and video entertainment experiences to future BYD vehicles across BYD's major international markets in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The platform is designed to deliver a best‑in‑class hybrid radio experience alongside intuitive video streaming designed specifically for the automotive environment.

The ‘Wasserburg’ station is now enriching the DAB+ radio landscape in Bavaria. With its launch on the Upper Bavaria South regional network (Channel 7A), Bayern Digital Radio GmbH is expanding this network to include a fourteenth location. With the launch of the ‘Wasserburg’ station in the Rosenheim district of Upper Bavaria, the urban area of the same name, as well as the valleys along the River Inn to the north towards Gars and Mühldorf and to the south as far as Rosenheim, are now being supplied with private radio programmes. In total, approximately 1.30 million residents (99.4%) in the Upper Bavaria and Southeast Upper Bavaria regions are now reached by the DAB+ programs of the Upper Bavaria South regional network.

As part of the Broadcast Fair, which will take place at the Istanbul Yenikapı Exhibition Centre from 22 to 25 October, the TUYAD Association will organise a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Terrestrial Broadcasting and Its Future’. The panel topics will include terrestrial DAB+ broadcasting technologies. In addition, TUYAD Academy will be holding a free technical training seminar on terrestrial DAB+ technology throughout the duration of the fair.

In the first of this year's series of short interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2026, Fabio Placidi, technical and sales manager, ITEL Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni says the company will be showing its IdMUX DAB+ multiplexer. ITEL is a company specialising in audio processing and headend systems for the radio and television telecommunications market, based in Perugia, Italy.

It is a quiet but unstoppable revolution taking place every day in German living rooms, kitchens and, above all, in cars: traditional analogue FM radio is losing its significance. Yet the audio industry is not experiencing this to the same extent – thanks to DAB+ digital radio, it is undergoing a modernisation drive in the first half of 2026. The ‘Radio Analysis Bavaria’, published a few weeks ago by the Bavarian State Media Authority (BLM), shows in black and white that a historic milestone has been reached in the Free State. For the first time, more people in Bavaria are listening to the radio via modern digital reception channels such as DAB+, web radio, cable and satellite (48.1 per cent) than via the traditional analogue FM network (45.2 per cent).