{"id":7896,"date":"2024-06-17T15:29:40","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T15:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audiotiq.com\/?p=7896"},"modified":"2025-11-10T10:06:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:06:03","slug":"radio-could-dab-survive-the-shift-to-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audiotiq.com\/fr\/radio-could-dab-survive-the-shift-to-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio: could DAB survive the shift to streaming?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Betterrige’s law of headlines<\/a> stipulates that “any headline that ends with a question mark can be answered by the word NO.” And it is no coincidence that this article’s title ends with a question mark.<\/p>\n

I just read an in-depth study (in German \ud83d\ude0a) titled “Perspektiven 2035+,”<\/a> done by the association of Swiss Private Radios<\/a>. It examines the long-term development potential for radio and audio, especially in terms of distribution.<\/p>\n

Long story short, DAB is purely transitional and poised to disappear, and Radio\/Audio distribution is heading towards a fully IP-streaming future.<\/p>\n

Let’s dive in.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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Key Findings from the Study on DAB and Streaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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First of all, radio remains a stable medium with high levels of trust among the public, and its usage remains relatively constant compared to significant declines in other media. But, its audience is both declining and aging.<\/p>\n

Swiss radios rely on three main distribution technologies: FM (UKW in German), DAB+, and IP streaming. FM is phasing out in favor of DAB+ and IP, but the transition faces hurdles due to cost and user adoption, very much like everywhere else in Europe.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Verband Schweizer Privatradios<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

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So, radio faces distribution challenges but also changes in listening habits, with an increasing preference for non-linear audio, such as podcasts and streaming. Younger audiences are leading the shift away from traditional radio to digital platforms.<\/p>\n

What we are witnessing here is radio digital transformation.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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What are the Implications of Streaming for Audio Publishers and Radio Stations?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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The current digital transformation of radio has implications across many blocks of the value chain. Here are \u2013 in our view at Audiotiq<\/a> \u2013 the 5 main challenges for publishers. Some are easier to address than others.<\/p>\n

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    A Comprehensive Multi-Platform Strategy<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Broadcasters must embrace the digital transformation by investing in IP streaming to reach audiences where they are most active\u2014on their smartphones, not their radio receivers. Investing in IP streaming means developing user-friendly apps and platforms to make accessing content easier and more engaging.<\/p>\n

    This is a massive undertaking as one\u2019s mobile app is compared to the best-in-class UX (User eXperience) and UI (User Interface) such as Spotify, Tinder, Amazon, the neo-banks, Strava, etc.<\/p>\n

    Practically, audio publishers need to work on a multi-platform distribution strategy:<\/p>\n