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Last update: 22.09.2023 - older versions

DAB+ : a structural choice for the radio industry

Launched in 2014 in Paris, Nice and Marseille, DAB+ is now seen as critical to contribute to the future of radio and to address the saturation of FM. It is a means to preserve diversity and plurality. As DAB+ is reaching a turning point, the regulator, Arcom, is launching in 2023 a consultation with the radio industry which will include the switchover from FM to DAB+ both in the metropolitan area and overseas. The economics of radio are a key element of the expected white paper, as well as the potential acceleration of the deployment.

Deployment of DAB+

On 12 October 2021, France launched two new national multiplexes broadcasting 26 DAB+ stations, including national services from Radio France, leading private broadcasters and four new national services. The new multiplexes are broadcast along the major motorway corridors of Paris-Lyon-Marseille. The 26 services include four new DAB+ only stations and 22 stations that are also broadcast in FM. Extension to more main roads and highly populated areas is planned for the end of 2023. These 26 radios are in addition to the hundreds of radio stations already available regionally and locally on DAB+

The CSA rollout plan, the so-called "nodes and arcs strategy" described in 2017, which also includes continued regional and local rollouts alongside the launch of national services, was updated in 2021.

Arcom says that "In total, it is expected that 17 multiplexes, extended or local, will have started broadcasting during the summer of 2023. At the end of these start-ups, the coverage of the metropolitan population by DAB+ will exceed 50%."

French DAB+ Broadcast Networks Factsheet

A new factsheet on DAB+ digital radio in France has been produced for automotive manufacturers, as the country achieves over 50% DAB+ population coverage.

The factsheet from WorldDAB - the global industry forum for DAB digital radio - was produced as part of the work of its Automotive Working Group, in partnership with network operator TDF, and RadioDNS which promotes hybrid radio.

France DAB+ Broadcast Networks

Receiver legislation

Older pieces of legislation in France related to DAB+ in cars have been superseded by the transposition in November 2020 of the EECC into French legislation. This law passed the last stage and was made official in December 2020, with the transposition of the EECC into French law officially published on 28 May 2021. Domestic receivers, for which the reception function of radio services broadcast is not purely incidental, and have an alphanumeric screen, must be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio. Discussions are ongoing to make DAB+ mandatory in all receivers.

Last update: 22.09.2023 - older versions

DAB+ digital terrestrial radio continues to roll out across France. With its arrival in towns such as Bayonne, Besançon, Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, Metz, Nancy and Pau, this summer DAB+ passed the symbolic milestone of covering 50% of the French population. A trial has also been underway in Martinique since January. With the continued roll-out of national antennas between October 2023 and March 2024, more than 60% of the population will be covered by DAB+ by early 2024.

In December 2021, the French media regulator CSA, published an updated DAB+ roadmap highlighting DAB+ developments plans for the 2022-2024 period.

According to the new roadmap, calls for applications will be launched for 50 local allotments in that period of time – these primarily concerned the cities of Dijon, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Caen, Nancy, Paris, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Poitiers and Toulouse. An overseas trial has also been licensed in Martinique.

Last update: 22.09.2023 - older versions

In this country there are

on air.

French DAB+ Broadcast Networks Factsheet

A new factsheet on DAB+ digital radio in France has been produced for automotive manufacturers, as the country achieves over 50% DAB+ population coverage.

France DAB+ Broadcast Networks

Please note:

(a) These web pages are updated regularly to reflect current services on air, however they may not be exactly up to date.

(b) The logos shown on these pages are for illustrative purposes only – manufacturers and broadcasters are directed here for information on implementing station logos.

An interactive map showing all services currently on air in France, as well as those licensed to go on air, can be found at: Ma radio DAB Plus - CSA - Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel.

	Simulcast on AM / FM	Exclusive on digital	Total of services
DAB+ programmes	358	102	460

Last update: 16.02.2022 - older versions

In France, as of H2 2021, 90% of new cars sold are equipped with DAB+ as standard (Source: JATO Dynamics 2022).

Last update: 05.02.2021 - older versions

Receiver legislation

In December 2018 DAB+ coverage reached 21.3% of the French population, which triggered a law requiring that all radio receivers (including in-car) sold in France be compatible with the broadcasting standards (ie DAB+). This 2018 law was amended in June 2020 to align with the EECC deadline of 20 December 2020.

In November 2020, the French parliament voted in favour of a law to transpose the EECC into French legislation. This law passed the last stage and was made official in December 2020, enabling the government to take a final decree which is expected by early 2021. The decree will confirm that new passenger cars in France will be required to include digital terrestrial radio from 20 December 2020, in line with the EECC. Additional obligations regarding consumer receivers have yet to be agreed and may also be included in that decree enacting the EECC.

More detailed information is in the WorldDAB EECC Factsheet.

Last update: 02.10.2018 - older versions

40,000 households in eastern Paris can now receive DAB as part of a test by Towercast. Radio France is broadcasting their portfolio of radio stations on that trial.

There is one trial local multiplex in East Paris and one trial local multiplex on air in Rambouillet. One of the 5 DAB+ stations on air in Rambouillet are available exclusively via DAB+ digital radio (not on FM).

Several stations offer Slideshow services (SLS).

Last update: 13.06.2022 - older versions

The Regulator (ARCOM - previously CSA) refers to a “Nodes and Arcs” phase of DAB+ rollout bringing DAB+ coverage to the 50 largest cities and to the highways connecting them. The target completion date is end of 2022. Then the so-called “Percolation Phase” will cover the lower density regions.

Four calls for applications are expected by end of 2023 to reach 50 smaller cities and their surrounding areas. From the point of view of enhancing the digital radio experience for consumers, the CSA initiated a forum with French broadcasters to discuss the DAB+ user experience.

DAB+ regulation in France is outlined on the French Media regulator's website here.

The 2021 annual report of the CSA / ARCOM which includes substantial information about the deployment of DAB+ in France is available to download here.

Last update: 05.02.2021 - older versions

DABplus.fr

The website DABplus.fr was set up to summarise the deployment of DAB+ in France. It is paid by and for stakeholders of DAB+ in France. www.DABplus.fr

Consumer Marketing

French broadcasters are developing a marketing strategy in preparation for the national launch of DAB+. The work involves collaboration between all broadcaster groups - Radio France, the large private broadcasters as well as independent radios.

Arcom unveils its radio White Paper

18.06.2024 - France

Announced several months ago, the regulator unveiled its White Paper on radio on Tuesday morning. The reason for this is "because the media must adapt to new uses and Arcom is there to support them". The aim of the White Paper is to take stock of the current state of radio, identify the needs of each sector and offer a vision, such as that of achieving the switch to fully digital radio by the end of 2033. "Radio today is facing structural questions. It is at a crossroads," Roch-Olivier Maistre began. "The radio medium needs a horizon. To do this, it must emerge from uncertainty and prepare for the switch to all-digital broadcasting, to the benefit of all audiences and all radio stations". Referring to Balzac, Roch-Olivier Maistre said that "Good reports are those that are transformed into deeds".

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

By 2033, radio in France will be totally digital

18.06.2024 - France

This is (almost) the end of an era for frequency modulation. The White Paper on Radio, unveiled this morning by Arcom, mentions 2033 as the date for totally digital French radio. Cleverly, there is no question of abandoning FM but of favouring DAB, which will inevitably and gradually take over. In less than 10 years' time. In any event, a decision to extinguish FM in mainland France and the procedures for doing so can only be taken at the end of the two phases of the trajectory proposed by Arcom, i.e. in 2033, or closer to that date if a majority of the proposals put forward by Arcom have been implemented cumulatively.

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

Radio France supports Arcom's proposals for a gradual transition to DAB+.

18.06.2024 - Radio France WorldDAB Member - France

Arcom has today published a White Paper on radio that outlines an ambitious future for the radio medium. In particular, it sets out a realistic and progressive strategy for the radio industry's transition to DAB+. Radio France is delighted with the prospects outlined by Arcom. DAB+, a modern digital technology, has many qualities: it is sovereign, resilient and resource-efficient, it respects personal data and there is no risk of it being monopolised by the digital giants. Radio France has therefore been fully committed to its deployment since 2018 and is participating in the radio sector's drive in its favour. Radio France supports Arcom's call for the Ensemble pour le DAB+ association to become a genuine coalition of all the players involved in steering this transition.

(Radio France) Read more

Assises de la radio 2024: Arcom presents its White Paper on the future of radio

18.06.2024 - France

The result of more than 30 hearings and consultations with the main players in radio, Arcom has published its White Paper on the future of radio in France, which provides a broad overview of the sector and its economic, legal and technical aspects, as well as changes in usage. The White Paper on Radio was presented by Hervé Godechot, Arcom member and chairman of the Radio and Digital Audio working group, at the Assises de la radio 2024 conference on Tuesday 18 June at the AMF headquarters in Paris.

(Arcom) Read more

Alain Liberty appointed as Managing Director of Music Radio at Lagardère Radio

29.05.2024 - France

In this capacity, Alain Liberty will steer the pooling strategy within the Lagardère Radio division, taking care to preserve the identity of the brands - Europe 1, Europe 2 and RFM - while pursuing audience development objectives. Stéphane Bosc has also been appointed Managing Director of RFM, reporting directly to Alain Liberty. These appointments will take effect from 1 June 2024. "Alain Liberty's appointment to Les Musicales is part of our strategy to consolidate the Radio Division. Thanks to his expertise, he will be able to continue the work of relaunching Europe 2 by defining a new on-air strategy for the next radio season 2024/2025," said Constance Benqué, President of Lagardère Radio

(Lagardère Radio) Read more

Radio Orient soon to be broadcast on DAB+ in Morlaix

22.05.2024 - France

On 24 April 2024, Arcom selected Radio Orient for the Morlaix area on DAB+ as part of call 9 launched on 27 July 2022. ‘This is a further vote of confidence and a real source of satisfaction for the station, which is thus continuing to develop its network,’ explains the radio station. In 2024, other areas will be served by Radio Orient and other radio broadcasters, who will significantly increase the diversity of content on offer in many towns and cities. ‘DAB+ technology is an extended, free and unlimited radio offering. It delivers unprecedented sound quality, guarantees more stable broadcasting and means that certain radio stations can be listened to on the move without having to worry about frequencies,’ points out the Radio Orient team.

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

SIRTI calls on government to take additional measures to ensure that DAB+ is a way forward for radio

20.05.2024 - France

Over the past 10 years, radio broadcasters, and independent radio broadcasters in particular, have been working hard to develop DAB+. Following the creation of the Ensemble pour le DAB+ association and a recent campaign to raise public awareness of this broadcasting technology, SIRTI is calling for the reinstatement of Article 15 on DAB+ as a guarantee of radio sovereignty and is highlighting 3 measures needed to ensure that DAB+ continues to play its essential role in modernising the radio medium. The first concerns the Government's support for the provisions of the law on audiovisual reform introduced by L. Lafon. The SIRTI reaffirms the importance of the bill's requirement for new cars to be fitted with an FM/DAB+ radio receiver, to guard against the possible disappearance of car radios. It is also asking that FM-only receivers no longer be put on sale.

(Le SIRTI) Read more

One-third of listeners in France have already heard of DAB+

14.05.2024 - France

The Digital Barometer is a sample survey that measures the adoption of digital equipment and uses among the French population. It is conducted jointly by Arcom and other media organisations. The Digital Barometer is a benchmark study of the spread of information and communication technologies in French society. The report says: "With regard more specifically to DAB+ digital terrestrial radio, which is still being rolled out in France, a third (33%) of listeners have already heard of this reception method (including 13% who say they can describe exactly what it is), i.e. 28% of the French population. The awareness of this new technology - as well as the level of equipment - is significantly higher among tech-savvy groups (men, young people, people living in the Paris region, upper-income groups)."

(Arcom) Read more

DAB+ increasing in regular use in France: Observatoire

26.04.2024 - France

The French regulator Arcom, and its partners in the 'Observatoire de l'équipement audiovisuel des foyers de France métropolitaine' present the results for the second half of 2023 for television and radio. Although DAB+-compatible equipment remains stable among individuals aged 13 and over (24.5%), an increasing number of those equipped cite equipment receiving DAB+ as one of the three most commonly used media for listening to the radio (+6.1 points compared to 2022). The report profiles DAB+-equipped individuals, noting higher levels for under 25s (21.5% of DAB+ subscribers, compared with 16.9% of all individuals aged 13 and over) and those living outside the Paris region (84.8% against 81.5%).

(Arcom) Read more

Virgin Radio launched on DAB+ at 4pm

18.04.2024 - France

The handover from Virage Radio to Virgin Radio took place on 15 April at 4pm. This is the first stage in Espace Group's strategy to relaunch the brand in France. On FM, of course, but also on DAB, where Virgin Radio, 'THE rock station', is hoping to establish itself rapidly. Virgin Radio is taking over the FM and DAB+ broadcasts of Virage Radio, an Espace Group station already firmly established with a rock programme in over 30 French cities. Virgin Radio has been broadcasting its programmes on FM (Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry, etc.) and DAB+ in France's main cities (Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Lille, Strasbourg, etc.).

(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more

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Key Information

Status:	regular
Population:	65.2 million
Population coverage:	54.8%
Services:	460 DAB+
Line-fit automotive sales (cumulative):	6,346,000 devices
New cars with DAB/DAB+ as standard:	98%
Total Sales (cumulative):	8,394,000 devices
Penetration by household:	13.7%
Last update: 26.02.2024