This is a historically unique opportunity — and the last opportunity.

• Roughly four decades after the launch of private broadcasting, a much-awaited relevant programming targeted at a national audience is underway in Germany!

   

• An attractive opportunity for domestic radio broadcasters, industry companies, as well as national and international media companies who have not yet had the opportunity to invest in the German radio market.

• Sustainable entry in the German radio market possible — even for players from outside the industry (see Austria, for example).

• Be on the winning side of the upcoming shifts within the listener and advertising market: New national advertising budgets will be triggered by new offers, existing national advertising budgets will be reallocated from local/regional to national radio programs.

• For example, broadcasting special interest radio programs nationwide over a national DAB+ platform is a big plus for reach and revenue (see for example Radio Bob! and Radio NRJ).

• The first and only privately managed national DAB+ platform in Germany: broadcasting capacity is allocated by the platform operator, Antenne Deutschland.

• DAB+ is a future-proof terrestrial broadcasting technology and the most efficient way to broadcast radio programs (many times more cost efficient than FM and IP radio).

Platform Provider
Antenne Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin

Broadcast Capacity
864 capacity units / approximately 16 radio channels

Technical Coverage at Launch
Approx. 83% of the population / 67 million persons (based on mobile outdoor coverage); coverage expansion planned

Programming
Attractive, high-variety programming for the listener and advertising market: A total of 16 channels of Antenne Deutschland and third party radio stations.

Programming Decision
The radio channels for third party broadcasters were initially awarded through an international call for expressions of interest, conducted exclusively by the platform’s cooperation partner National German Radio GmbH. The final awarding decisions are made by Antenne Deutschland.

Launch
5th of October 2020

A mass media must: Radio reaches almost three-fourths of the population 14+ on daily bases.

Source: agma – ma 2023 Audio I

Only 3 % of radio programs are nationwide: For historical and political reasons, terrestrial radio broadcasting areas in Germany had been designed so far predominantly locally / regionally within state lines.

The advertising market: In a dramatically shifting media environment, radio has successfully managed to stake out its claim to advertising revenue. However, compared to other European countries with established national broadcasting, there is still room for growth.

Source: VAUNET-spring forecast for the advertising market 2023, as of May 2023

Source: VAUNET-spring forecast for the advertising market 2023, as of May 2023

National radio broadcasting at last: Nearly four decades after the start of private radio in Germany, a new and much-awaited era in radio has arrived, with an offering of relevant radio programs broadcasted terrestrially at the national level — and powered from day one by the future-proof technology of DAB+.

Already at launch, the commercial national DAB+ platform will reach roughly 67 million* persons in Germany.  A future coverage expansion is planned.

*Mobile outdoor coverage; conservative calculation from network operator Media Broadcast

The future of radio in Europe is digital – and it’s already here: DAB+ is en route to replacing FM radio as the standard in terrestrial broadcasting.

Source: WorldDAB Countries

Political tailwind: Since end of 2020, automobile manufacturers are required by EU law to outfit new vehicles with radios capable of receiving DAB+ broadcasts.*

* Stationary radios with displays will also be subject to this requirement.

The number of households with DAB+ compatible radios is steeply growing.

Source: AUDIO TRENDS 2022, die medienanstalten

Digital is becoming the new normal: Today, nearly 70 % of the population* in Germany has access to digital radio.

* Persons 14+

Source: AUDIO TRENDS 2022, die medienanstalten