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38 local radio and regional television licences will be put out to tender by the end of April 2023. Whoever is awarded the licence will fulfil a regional public service mandate from 1 January 2025 and receive money from the radio and television levy in return. Licences for 15 commercial local radio stations, 10 complementary non-profit local radio stations and 13 regional television stations with a performance mandate and fee share will be put out to tender. The broadcaster licences for local radio and regional television include a binding performance mandate. In return, the broadcasters receive the right to broadcast their programmes in their coverage area via DAB+ (radio) or via cable (television).

SBS Arabic24, a dedicated DAB+ digital radio station broadcasting and streaming Australian and global news and current affairs, entertainment and music 24/7 in Arabic, has announced a new 2023 programming line-up commencing today. A new weekend morning show Best of SBS Arabic24 – Week in Review will air on Saturdays and Sundays from 6am to 8am, while the Bayt Al Mazzika music show timeslot will be expanded to 9am to 3pm on weekdays with live hosting between noon and 1pm. These programming updates complement SBS Arabic24’s flagship Good Morning Australia live breakfast show and Australia Alyaom live afternoon show. These schedule changes are timed with BBC Arabic radio ceasing its linear transmission to develop digital audio content.

Polskie Radio Koszalin, the public regional radio station for the eastern part of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, launched another sub-regional programme on 2 January. Since then, Studio Kołobrzeg can be heard in the city of the same name on the Baltic Sea from Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the FM city frequency 91.0 MHz. In addition, the new regional window is also on air in Koszalin (Köslin) and Kołobrzeg (Kolberg) via DAB+ (channel 11B).

French communications regulator Autorité de Régulation de la Communication Audiovisuelle et Numérique (ARCOM) has authorized the first DAB+ multiplex in Martinique. A ten-station multiplex launched on Channel 5B from three sites on the Caribbean island and is authorised to operate as a trial service through the end of September 2023. As part of the agency’s 2022–2024 roadmap for digital radio, ARCOM called for interest in launching trial DAB+ services in the “Outre-Mer,” those portions France outside of the Europe. Several islands in the Caribbean, North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, as well as French Guiana in South America, are regions, collectivities, or territories of France, and broadcasting in these areas is overseen by ARCOM.

"The possible disappearance of DTT in 2030 could lead to the ostracisation of radio," says Javier Sánchez Pérez, a member of the Radio Committee of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Pérez reflects on the major challenges facing the broadcasting of audiovisual content. "Furthermore, in an adverse scenario, it could be questioned in Spain whether it is profitable to maintain FM services in a network initially designed to offer television services and without having undertaken the migration to DAB+. Because, so far, no one has demonstrated that there is a more efficient way of transmitting linear radio services to large audiences than with DAB+. Think of countries like Switzerland, whose DTT never had a high penetration rate and switched off in June 2019; but where DAB+ is profitable and overtook FM consumption already in 2019."

One operator could own more than two licences for terrestrial radio broadcasting and the radio network should not have any limitations in terms of its coverage, MP Marek Novák (ANO) has proposed. The government's amendment to the Electronic Communications Act could, after all, address the issue of radio licences for final DAB+ networks by way of an addendum. Instead of the Ministry of Culture, it was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies by opposition MP Marek Novák (ANO). In his proposal, Novák asks that the Broadcasting Act abolish the restriction that one operator may not hold more than two licences for full terrestrial radio broadcasting and that the radio network should not be limited to the maximum permitted coverage of 80% of the Czech population. The Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to consider the government's amendment and the amendment at its session on 7 February.

The first meeting of the Italian Media DAB consortium was held over the weekend of 20 to 22 January 2023 at the Relais Franciacorta in Corte Franca (Brescia - Italy). The 110 radio stations of the consortium from eight Italian regions participated. Speakers for Media DAB were Vincenzo Dolce (President), Ettore Vantaggiato (Technical Director), Gianluigi Petruccio (Communication) and Monica Ponti (Marketing). For the technical aspects Francesco Berti and Alessandro Tomassini from Itel, Alessandro Sponchioni from GatesAir and Gianluca Busi from 22HBG. For the strategic and legal aspects, lawyers Massimo Lualdi and Stefano Cionini of Consultmedia. For the accounting aspects Franco Depasquale (Auditor). Following the speeches there was a 'questions and answers' session with the consortium radio stations and speakers.

Let's review the changes in digital radio broadcasting in Slovakia in 2023. In total, three new DAB+ transmitters were put into operation, namely Považská Bystrica - Rozkvet (8A/ 195.936 MHz), Košice - Dubník (10C/213.360 MHz) and Borský Mikuláš - Dubník (6D/187.072 MHz). On the contrary, the transmitter in Dunajská Streda was switched off. Subsequently, the whole technology was moved to Bojnice (TVP Prievidza), where the operator could launch a low-power transmitter for Bojnice itself, as well as for Prievidza and its surroundings. Dunajská Streda did not lose its DAB+ signal, it is sufficiently covered by Bratislava's Kamzík and partly also by Nitra's Zobor. Three of these transmitters are operated directly by Towercom and one by its subsidiary AVIS.

During a round table organised by the Senate's Culture, Education and Communication Committee on the theme "The future of radio in the age of DAB+", the union of independent radio stations (SIRTI) highlighted the essential role of the digital terrestrial radio broadcasting standard in the development of the medium and the importance of providing financial support for its deployment, particularly at local level. The SIRTI supported the white paper proposal made by ARCOM. The independent radio stations wish to join the proposal to draft a white paper on DAB+ made by the President of ARCOM during the round table to make their voice heard and to accelerate the expected development of DAB+. Indeed, independent radio stations are massively involved in the deployment of DAB+ in France, with 75% of them now broadcasting via this radio broadcasting standard, while this technology now covers 50% of the country.

The French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication, Arcom, has authorised an experiment involving the broadcasting of a multiplex of ten services from three sites in Martinique, from 1 January to 30 September 2023. In its 2022-2024 roadmap for the continued deployment of DAB+, Arcom indicated that it would give priority to authorising trials in the overseas territories so that the stakeholders and the public in the overseas territories can familiarise themselves with DAB+ broadcasting, while declaring its readiness to continue the planning work prior to any calls for applications in these territories in the light of the results of the trials. Services scheduled to be broadcast from the start of the DAB+ trial in overseas France: Radio Fusion, Fusion 100%, Fusion Compass, Fusion Gold, Fusion salsa kl@moson.