New Government Will Support Terrestrial Broadcasting in Germany

A levy for online platsforms that use media content is considered.

With its coalition agreement the two parties - CDU/CSU and SDP - commit to strengthen media diversity and ensuring freedom of expression. Support for public and private broadcasting is expressed as well as support for continued terrestrial broadcasting in the UHF band (470–694 MHz).

Independent and diverse media ensure free public debate. Within the dual media system, we advocate for both pluralistic public broadcasting and fair regulatory and funding conditions for private media. 

FM Radio Switch-Off Delayed for Another Decade In Belgium

DAB might be phased out before FM

The Flemish government has dropped its proposed 2031 target for ending FM radio broadcasts, opting instead for a gradual transition to digital radio with no cut-off date set before 2035. The decision follows concerns about potential economic impacts and the risk of excluding older audiences from radio services. Flemish media minister Cieltje Van Achter said the move reflects a more cautious approach to the transition. “We will take all radio listeners with us to the finish".

5G Broadcast On Verge Becoming US Standard

US veteran broadcaster would rather choose 5G Broadcast than ATSC 3.  A jackpot.

A veteran broadcast TV executive, says he keep reading that linear broadcasting is in an inevitable decline, but it doesn’t have to be. The jackpot market that can save the industry is the ability to broadcast and datacast directly to wireless mobile devices including 300 million-plus smartphones and over 200 million tablets in the U.S. But we have to be smart about the technology choice we make to get us there, continues Preston Paddenis. 

Read more below why he believes 5G Broadcast is the best choice also in the US. Also read an item about a US Broadcaster petitions FCC to commercialize 5G Broadcast.

Smartphones Fuel A Revolution For Terrestrial Linear Radio and TV

(Photo: teltarfi.de)

European broadcasters push for 5G Broadcast rollout by 2027.

A win-win opportunity for broadcasters and mobile telecom stakeholders.

For eight years, 5G Broadcast has been developed, tested and is now ready for use in many countries. It is mainly about television broadcasts, but the new platform on the UHF band also has capacity for a large number of radio channels. 

The 5G Broadcast Strategic Task Force (5BSTF) is now working on a launch of commercial 5G Broadcast services in six European markets by 2027. As traditional terrestrial analogue and digital terrestrial (DTT) networks face shutdowns, this next-generation technology is considered to offer a viable alternative, improving the delivery of live and linear audiovisual content. - More facts and analysis follow below.

Swiss FM Switch-off: Public Broadcaster Lost Two-Thirds of Its Listeners

Sudden lack of FM radio in tunnels creates security havoc.

In the end of February 2025 the newspaper 20 minutes conducted a survey on the FM switch-off in Switzerland's three language regions. (After the extremely negative results, the charts disappeared). In Italian-speaking Switzerland, listeners dropped by 62%, and public broadcaster SRG minimized its participation.

Of the 27% with daily listening on radio 13% tune in on DAB and 36% on FM.  8% have given up over the air radio listening all together. There are still lots of cross-border FM broadcast from France, Italy, Germany and Austria reaching most Swiss homes and cars. -  62% are not listening to the Swiss public service channels any longer. In the survey  51% thought that the FM switch-off is a scandal.  Next year, Switzerland will vote on the 200 Fr initiative (media tax), and the people will express their opinion, which has not been taken into account so far.

Italy Will Retain FM Radio For At Least Another 10 Years

Broadcast stakeholders want to maintain coextstence between FM and DAB.

The regulator AGCOM of February 18, 2025 presented the results of a survey on the development of DAB+ in Italy launched on September 11, 2024. Stakeholders unanimously agree on the need to maintain the coexistence between FM, DAB+ and other radio service distribution platforms, such as IP-based, for at least the next decade. The transition from FM to DAB+ should be gradual and subject to the full development of DAB+, including the availability of adequate spectrum resources to ensure programming, coverage and capillarity equivalent to those currently offered by FM, in order to reach all users.