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.
According to the recently published Audio Trends report, only a fifth of all radio listening takes place via the digital channels DAB+ and web radio; the rest is via FM and to some extent also cable and satellite. Radio listeners often only come across the designated digital successor, DAB+, when making replacement purchases, for example by replacing a broken kitchen radio or buying a new car, with car radios also having to have digital broadcast reception according to the EU Interoperability Directive.
DAB+ is therefore largely not a market-driven technology. Few people rush to the shops because they absolutely have to have a digital radio. In general, it is the radio program listened to and its content that are the decisive factors for radio consumption, not the transmission method. While market penetration of DAB+ is increasing, it is happening at a snail's pace. The growth is linear at best. And this despite the fact that DAB+ has listening advantages compared to FM, writes Digital Fernsehen.
In most German states, politicians have now left the decision to phase out FM technology entirely to the broadcasters, since the switch-off date has never been met anyway. And as long as the broadcasters want to continue broadcasting analogue terrestrially (which, with very few exceptions, they generally do), the broadcasting licenses are routinely renewed, often for 10 years, or, as is currently the case in Berlin (Schlager Radio network) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, they are re-advertised.
For the first time, a German state has extended FM allocations until the 2040s. Through two administrative laws dated August 19, 2025, Deutschlandradio has been allocated transmission capacity for analogue radio in North Rhine-Westphalia – until December 31, 2040. This applies to channels in Bonn and Wuppertal. However, the national public service radio has recently switched to digital broadcasting on DAB+ and the internet after having divested several FM frequencies. (Digital Fernsehen)
Some facts
About 80% of radio listening in Germany today is via FM, while DAB+ has a share of 17% and web radio 5%. 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.
The DAB system was originally created and developed in the 1980s in Munich, and today DAB+ is most established in Bavaria. Despite this, FM also is retaining its strong position also in this federal state.
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