DAB Not Saving Radio. Norwegians Reducing Their Listening to Linear Radio

Local radio listeners increasingly abandoning DAB and returning to FM.

FM seems to be experiencing a renaissance in Norway. Fewer and fewer people are now using DAB to listen to local radio, while more are listening to FM radio, according to recent figures compiled by Kantar Media for the Norwegian Local Radio Association. Kantar asks not only which channel is listened to, but also which platform they use to listen to local radio. The figures do not apply to national channels that only broadcast digitally. - In the fourth quarter of 2024, 53.0% of those surveyed said that they use FM to listen to local radio on a daily basis, while 45.5% said that they listen to local radio on DAB. In the second quarter of 2024, 51.5% listened to local radio on FM and 47.7% on DAB. So it is no longer just a coincidence, it may seem that the trend has actually reversed.

Catastrophic Start for Transition to DAB in Switzerland

Public broadcaster exclusive FM switch-offl advantage for commercial radio

After FM is switched off, public broadcaster lose half a million listeners

The switch-off led to an almost one quarter drop in listener numbers. Commercial  stations are recording growth as they continue to broadcast via FM. Compared to the second half of 2024, the three major German-language radio stations of the SRG - SRF 1, SRF 2 and SRF 3 - lost an average of almost half a million listeners per day in the first two weeks of January 2025.  Overall, the net daily reach of these three stations fell by 490.700 people, which represents a decline of 23.5 percent.The loss of listeners coincides exactly with the shutdown of the SRF FM transmitters. The SRG stopped broadcasting its radio programs on FM at the end of 2024.

Dramatic Decline in Listening to Linear Radio in Sweden

Can national commercial radio survive in the new media landscape? 

Linear radio (FM and DAB) continues to decline and has a reach of 5,176,000 listeners per day in 2024, in the target group 12–79 years old, according to Kantar Sifo. Ten years ago, radio had 5,275,000 daily listeners with a reach of 68 percent. Since then, Sweden's population has increased by 7.5 percent.

The two oligopolies for commercial radio has declined the most and the 10 year downward trend continues. A decisive factor is competition from public broadcaster Sveriges Radio, which now has a market share of 78.8% compared to commercial radio's 21.2%. The increasing listening to streaming audio media such as Spotify and podcasts is also important. Read more about this and our analysis:

Radio Industry Urges Indian Government to Opt for DRM For Digital Radio

The world's most populous country first with digital radio on both FM and medium wave.

During an open house discussion, radio broadcast operators urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to adopt a single open standard for digital terrestrial radio broadcasting, considering its cost-effectiveness. Industry stakeholders further noted that a technology like DRM will foster innovation and competition. Uday Chawla, general secretary, Association of Radio Operators for India, highlighting how profitability is the real challenge for radio broadcasters, urged technology providers to be proactive in creating the digital ecosystem, have an alliance with mobile and automobile manufacturers and bring down the cost of digital radio adoption.