Broadcast radio's moment: WorldDAB at IBC 2026
WorldDAB returned to IBC in Amsterdam this month with its biggest conference session yet, packing Room E102 for "Broadcast radio's moment: resilient, relevant, irreplaceable." Co-produced with Broadcast Networks Europe (BNE), the session drew a full house of broadcasters, regulators and members from across the DAB+ ecosystem - proof, if any were needed, that broadcast radio's place in the connected media landscape is a live and pressing conversation.
"This session was about showing, not just telling, why broadcast radio is resilient, relevant and irreplaceable," said Bernie O'Neill, Project Director at WorldDAB, who produced and moderated the session. "Every speaker brought a different piece of the evidence — and the room's energy, right through to the drinks afterwards, told us this is truly a moment the broadcast radio industry wants to talk about."
(Photo: courtesy Vincent Sneed, EBU)
Anchored on the Digital Networks Act
The session was framed around the EU's Digital Networks Act and what it could mean for in-vehicle broadcast radio receiver mandates, a topic with real urgency for the industry right now. WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst opened with an update on DAB+'s continued global growth, before EBU's Vincent Sneed set out the DNA landscape in detail: where the legislation stands, what's at stake for broadcast radio in connected cars, and why the industry needs to stay engaged as the policy process moves forward.
David Fernández Quijada of South-180 followed with a public policy toolbox for accelerating DAB+ adoption — practical thinking for regulators and governments weighing how to support the transition from analogue to digital radio in their own markets.
ASA: from pilot to national rollout
One of the session's standout moments was the update on the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA). BBC Digital's Lindsay Cornell, in conversation with WorldDAB's Will Jackson, walked through ASA's progress, timed against Germany's Warntag national warning day just three days before the session, which saw ASA go live nationwide on the German DAB+ network. It’s a powerful proof on what broadcast radio can do that connectivity alone cannot: reach everyone, instantly, without a network.
Nick Piggott, RadioDNS Project Director and WorldDAB Vice-President, brought the hybrid radio and Small Scale DAB perspective with a reminder that DAB+'s strength lies as much in its growing ecosystem as in the core standard itself. Selahattin Başar Allıoğlu of Türkiye's RTÜK closed with a look at emerging markets, sharing progress on DAB+ development in Türkiye and what it signals for the wider region. WorldDAB's Rebecca Keene ended with closing remarks on WorldDAB membership — using the session itself, and the room full of engaged stakeholders, as the best evidence of the value the association delivers.
Selahattin Başar Allıoğlu, Supreme Council Expert, RTÜK updates on the DAB+ rollout in Türkiye.
The Q&A at the end of the session was lively, and the discussion carried on into the networking drinks that followed - always a good sign that a session has struck a nerve rather than just filled a slot. Discussions continued on the WorldDAB stand, too. WorldDAB's booth in Hall 8 was one of the busiest we've had, with a steady stream of visitors keen to see ASA demonstrated live. Being back in Hall 8 alongside so many of our members — equipment manufacturers, network operators and technology partners all under one roof — was a reminder of just how much collective momentum is behind DAB+ right now.
Between the session, the stand and the corridor conversations in between, IBC 2026 made one thing clear: broadcast radio isn't waiting to prove its relevance in a connected world. It's already there — and the industry is investing accordingly.