Report: New Future for Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting

5G Broadcast envisioned as a key to the future of media distribution in Europe.

With its trusted free-to-air content, terrestrial television and radio are essential to European life according to the broadcast provider industry. Looking to 2040,  terrestrial broadcasting is set to evolve with new capabilities that improve picture quality, expand access to mobile devices, and strengthen emergency communication. In the long term perspective 5G Broadcast will probably replace existing systems for digital terrestrial broadcasting as DVB-T2 for television and DAB for radio.

The report 5G BROADCAST HORIZONS FOR EUROPE prepared by South180 for Broadcast Network Europe presented at conference in Brussels paints a vision for the technology’s deployment in Europe. Read more here:

FM Radio For Another 15 Years In Germany - New Broadcasting Licenses

Transition to digital radio is moving at a snail's pace

DAB was invented in Germany back in the 1980s, but will analogue radio ever be switched off? 

FM radio was originally supposed to be switched off in Germany in 2010.Now 2025, and analogue terrestrial radio is still by far the most popular way to listen to radio. The first new licenses are now being granted until 2040.

Another DAB Setback - Switzerland Reverses Decision to Close FM Radio

                         Picture: Rim Hay VG

Public service broadcaster SRG will reassess the situation.

SRG Director General Susanne Wille is considering restarting the FM-network under pressure from parliament. If the government (State Council) allows private radio stations to continue broadcasting on FM, Susanne Wille intends to reconsider the plan. The National Council has already decided not to shut down FM. Radio stations should be allowed to broadcast on these frequencies even after 2026. Following the National Council, the relevant committee of the State Council now also supports this, albeit by a narrow margin.

In-Car Radio Receiver Disappears from Tesla's Standard Model

There are no legal obstacles to a car without a traditional radio receiver in the EU.

Next year's cheapest Tesla - the Y Model 3 Standard - will apparently no longer have a built-in radio, writes media expert James Cridland on his blog. Although Teslas have never had AM radio, FM radio is no longer included in the new base model, according to a report from specialist portal MotorTrends. The Model 3 Standard no longer includes terrestrial radio reception. MotorTrends comments: We knew there would be a less powerful radio option - but not that the Standard model would completely remove the terrestrial radio connection. Tesla's US website also no longer lists an FM receiver.

A New Terrestrial Broadcasting Platform Envisioned

French white paper indicates 5G will be cornerstone of needful modernization.
During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the French telecom TDF tested broadcasting some of the public service broadcasters' radio and television channels to 100 smartphones. Now, TDF is publishing a white paper that, according to the company, marks an important step towards bringing together stakeholders in France and Europe around a common vision: to make 5G Broadcast a cornerstone of the modernization of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and its future.

The white paper builds on the cross-industry working group that brought together the main French broadcasters - workshops from April to June 2025. Read below what the white paper summarizes.

New Record: 53 Million in Germany Listen to Audio On-line

Declining listening to terrestrial FM and DAB+ radio. 

The Online Audio Monitor 2025 survey shows that online audio is firmly entrenched in everyday life. Web radio is still a solid anchor in audio consumption: 39 million people (56%) regularly listen to linear radio content online. Smart TV has become the second most important platform for online audio content after the smartphone.

When it comes to platforms, Spotify is the undisputed leader among people under 30, while YouTube continues to grow in importance for podcasts and audiobooks. 24 million people listen to podcasts, preferably on politics and society. Ahead of the 2025 federal elections, more than half used podcasts as a supplementary information medium.