In Germany, depending on the region, around 300 radio programs are available via DAB+, more than 100 of which are available exclusively on digital channels. To make a comparison with other European countries, the Digital Radio Office Germany recently published an overview of the status of DAB+ on the continent.
According to the office, there are currently DAB and/or DAB+ radio broadcasts in 29 European countries.
Norway was the first country to switch off its national FM networks in favour of DAB+ in 2017. Across the country, including the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, 99.7% of the Norwegian population can receive digital radio signals, and since 2020, DAB+ listening time has exceeded previous figures for FM reception.
Switzerland is following this example and is moving towards switching off FM at the end of 2026. The national public broadcaster SRG SSR will gradually cease its analogue broadcasting at the end of 2024.
In Denmark, 98% of the population can receive DAB+ signals and the share of digital radio reception is currently around 28%. Once the share of digital listeners reaches 50%, the current Danish government plans to switch off FM.
The Czech public broadcaster Český Rozhlas now reaches 96% of the population. Private broadcasters have also expanded their reach in larger cities and along important transport corridors in recent months. A new tender launched this year aims to help private radio stations expand their DAB+ presence to catch up with ČR.
In Belgium, more than 95% of the population in all three language communities of the country can receive DAB+ radio programmes.
The Netherlands also has 95% coverage with public and private national radio stations. In 2024, the country will expand the number of local radio stations on DAB+ in about 60 regions, including via 22 small DAB multiplexes.
In Italy, where more than 85% of the population can receive DAB+ signals, the private broadcasters have the best developed networks, led by the public broadcaster RAI. In the South Tyrol region in the north of the country, DAB+ coverage is nationwide, and the public broadcaster South Tyrol has switched off some of its FM transmitters.
Although officially still a test service, almost 80% of the Serbian population is covered by a multiplex that broadcasts a dozen programs from the public broadcaster Radio-Televizija Srbije and private radio stations.
In the UK, digital penetration reached 73.7% in the second quarter of 2024, and DAB+ is the most popular way to receive radio, with 42.8% of listeners using it. There are more than 600 radio stations available in the country via DAB and DAB+, and this number has grown in recent years with the introduction of local small DAB+ multiplexes.
In Slovakia, 67% of the population is supplied with public and private radio programmes via DAB+.
Two national multiplexes cover metropolitan areas and motorways across France with DAB+ signals. These are complemented by regional multiplexes across the country, allowing more than 60% of the French population to receive DAB+ signals.
In Slovenia, one national multiplex and three regional platforms cover 91% of the country’s motorways.
About 30% of Turkey’s population, including the major cities of Ankara and Istanbul, are covered by an eight-channel multiplex of the state broadcaster Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu.
In the course of 2024, a second national platform with 14 programs will be launched in Austria. In addition, there will be five regional bouquets for Tyrol, Vienna/Lower Austria, Upper Austria/Salzberg, Styria/Burgendland and Vorarlberg with a total of 17 additional new programs on DAB+. There is an additional local multiplex in Vienna.
In Poland, there are 17 regional Polskie Radio platforms on air, as well as 16 local platforms with private and non-commercial stations, including in Warsaw, Gdansk, Szczecin and Wroclaw.
The Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Radio operates a national multiplex that can be heard mainly in large cities, but the Viaplay Group has launched a national DAB+ package with 13 private stations. It complements the national Bauer multiplex launched in 2020. In total, about half of the Swedish population can receive DAB+.
In 2024, Radio Nacional de España will begin broadcasting DAB/DAB+ signals beyond Madrid and Barcelona for the first time. This move follows a private initiative to bring local digital radio multiplexes online in major cities and holiday resorts such as the Balearic Islands.
Croatia has divided its national test network into ten regional groups. The public broadcaster Hrvatski Radio programs three channels and nine private stations are active nationwide or in selected regions.
In Greece, the public broadcaster ERA operates a total of 13 channels on DAB+ in the greater Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras areas. In addition, a pilot project with nine commercial channels is currently underway in the northern greater Athens area.
Local DAB+ services are broadcast in Baku (Azerbaijan), the Sofia metropolitan area (Bulgaria), Chişinău (Moldova) and Kyiv (Ukraine).
Digital radio is gaining ground even in the smallest countries in Europe. In Malta, DAB+ signals cover the entire archipelago and a total of 55 channels are broadcast via two national, one regional and one test platform.
Liechtenstein’s public broadcaster Radio L broadcasts on a regional ensemble for Eastern Switzerland that covers the principality, but talks are underway to set up a local multiplex in the country.
Monaco has four multiplexes broadcasting 37 private radio programs in French, Italian and English, and the Vatican operates its own multiplex in Rome with four channels.
In the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the public broadcaster Gibraltar Broadcasting Corp. operates a three-channel multiplex. DAB+ has also been available on the Channel Islands since 2021, and 22 stations can now be heard digitally on Guernsey and Jersey.
