Speech by Martin Ajdari, President of Arcom, at the "Ensemble pour le DAB+" event

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Madam MEP, dear Emma Rafowicz, ladies and gentlemen, radio executives, dear friends,

Thank you very much for allowing me to open this second annual meeting organized by "Ensemble pour le DAB+". I'd like to thank the association's president, Charles-Emmanuel Bon [and its general delegate, Maëlo Seuret], for giving me the opportunity to speak about the state of DAB+ deployment and, more generally, the situation of radio today and in our country.

In the summer of 2024, following intense consultation, Arcom published its White Paper on the future of radio, which set out to deliver a clear message and roadmap. I'd like to take this opportunity to salute Hervé Godechot, a former member of the Arcom board who worked on this project, and Romain Laleix, who took over from him.

In the fierce battle for the public's attention, which is overturning usage and testing radio against unprecedented competition, DAB+ is the best means of transforming the medium and modernizing its regulation.

Firstly, because this technology offers undeniable added value for listeners, in terms of listening continuity and sound quality. The Médiamétrie study that will be presented to you shortly demonstrates that "to try it is to adopt it".

Beyond the improvements in usage, the deployment of DAB+ supplies an unprecedented opportunity in a context of FM band saturation. It will enable us to create a more coherent and appealing radio landscape for all our fellow citizens, while preserving the protective managerial framework of public domain radio resources.

I'll come back to this point later, but the successful deployment of this system is a major factor in the resilience and economic development of a sector that is suffering.

But for our fellow citizens, it also means access to reliable, local information and a varied cultural supply, not to mention civil security considerations, the importance of which we were cruelly reminded by hurricanes Chido and Garance.

Our European neighbors are not mistaken, since the whole of Europe is gradually adopting DAB+, with varying degrees of maturity depending on the country.

Our experience abroad confirms our convictions as to the conditions required for success. One of these conditions is, of course, the commitment of an entire industry to promoting the technology, as in the UK, Germany and Belgium.

In this respect, I would like to pay tribute to the remarkable work accomplished by "Ensemble pour le DAB+", which has succeeded in federating all the components of the radio world: the public service, national networks, local and regional radio stations, community radio stations, broadcasters and manufacturers.

With the support of the French Ministry of Culture, it has orchestrated four advertising campaigns for 2025, as well as grass-roots initiatives that are beginning to bear fruit in terms of visibility, as you will also see shortly when we present the Médiamétrie study.

However, despite this progress, the Belgian example shows us that it is possible to go further. Thanks to additional means and an even stronger editors' commitment, the Belgians have deployed even more visible campaigns, and succeeded in mobilizing radio manufacturers and distributors, as well as car brands and dealers. The results are spectacular: DAB+ now accounts for over 30% of radio listeners in Belgium.

Such a collective dynamic is only possible - and this, in our view, is the other condition for the project's success - within the framework of a clear and solid partnership between the industry and the authorities.

For us as regulators, this partnership is based on three shared objectives.

The first is the ongoing quest for operational efficiency in the deployment of DAB+.

In this respect, we have made considerable progress since the publication of the White Paper, and are now on track to meet the objectives we set ourselves.

Since yesterday, the supply has expanded considerably in Brittany, with the start-up of local multiplexes in Vannes, Lorient and Saint-Brieuc in particular, but also the commissioning of almost 70 new transmitters for in mainland multiplexes (bringing together 26 national public and private programs), as well as coverage extensions in Normandy and Pays-de-la-Loire.

By the end of 2025, DAB+ coverage will approach 66% of the population for reception inside buildings.

Nearly 18,000 communities are covered, with an average of around 40 radios. Nearly 80% of freeways, i.e. almost 9,500 km.

This rollout will continue in 2026, with the aim of covering 80% of the mobile population for in mainland multiplexes within 12 months.

This sustained pace does not prevent us from listening to the professionals, which is the second key element of the partnership I mentioned earlier.

As I announced last June at the Assises de la Radio, this is the purpose of the White Paper follow-up group set up with "Ensemble pour le DAB+" and the Ministry of Culture.

This highly operational body works concretely to ensure the proper coordination of all stakeholders. It has intensified the flow of information to the local media each time a new transmitter is switched on. It is also working on the formalization of shared monitoring indicators, reporting on deployment progress in terms of coverage, equipment, awareness and even audience.

At the request of the editors' commitment, we have also embarked on a meticulous re-planning of the local DAB+ layers, to ensure that the network is better adapted to the needs of listeners. It's a complex and potentially endless task.

In all, 21 zones have been thoroughly examined as part of an unprecedented public consultation, in anticipation of the next summon for DAB+ applications.

More broadly, we will be launching a consultation in 2026 to establish Arcom's next multi-year roadmap for DAB+. One of the aims of this consultation will be to ensure that the objectives and pace of DAB+ deployment are appropriate for all players, whatever their editorial and business model.

This time of consultation is crucial, and should enable the sector to converge on shared objectives, to determine the next steps in the development of DAB+ in a context whose constraints we are well aware of.

While there are real grounds for satisfaction, we must be collectively lucid about the challenges facing the sector.

Due to competition from digital services, the medium's audience and advertising revenues are dropping. At the same time, constraints on public finances pose a latent threat to the means available to Radio France and community radio stations.

In these conditions, it will be difficult for broadcasters to cope with the 30 million euros in DAB+ diffusion costs that we anticipate in 2026, i.e. a dubbing compared to 2023, without a profound change in the regulation framework applicable to them.

This is the third collective mobilization issue I'd like to raise with you, starting with the current budgetary situation for community radio and public service broadcasting.

The examination of the draft legislation in the French senate has enabled us to restore funding for the Fonds de soutien à l'expression radiophonique locale (FSER), which we can only welcome.

Community radio stations are platforms for commitment and solidarity, training schools for radio professions, and play an essential role in consolidating social ties.

Without underestimating the constraints weighing on public finances, I would really like to emphasize the risks that any weakening of public support for community radio stations would entail for plurality, employment, media education and the promotion of cultural, economic and political life in our territories.

Similarly, Arcom has repeatedly stressed the need to provide Radio France, as with all public audiovisuel companies, with a clear multi-year financial manager, enabling it to plan ahead and embark on the various projects required for its transformation.

As far as commercial radio is concerned, the reform of the managerial framework applicable to legal notices cannot be put off any longer. In recent months, we have played a very active role with the government in encouraging a major development within the framework of the EGI bill. Admittedly, the future of the text is not yet known, but its preparation has given rise to positive interministerial exchanges, the conclusions of which should be taken into account.

Finally, one of the mainsprings of DAB+'s success lies in the dynamic of our fellow citizens' equipment. The retail sector must also become a partner, as it plays an essential role in the act of purchasing.

For home receivers, numerous models are available, costing between forty and a hundred euros. However, in the absence of any specific obligation, entry-level models still lack a DAB+ chip - a problem that needs to be addressed.

Similarly, for several years now, the European Electronic Communications Code has required carmakers to equip vehicles with a DAB+ device if they have an FM tuner. But there's no getting around the fact that some manufacturers are planning to do away with radio tuners altogether in some of their models.

No more radio in cars, when mobile listening accounts for 30% of overall listening, would in fact run the risk of the medium disappearing altogether.

This is a major cause for concern, and summons a general mobilization. With this in mind, we have proposed to the French Ministry of Culture and the "Ensemble pour le DAB+" association that they set up a group of experts, including the relevant government departments and stakeholders, to draw up legislative proposals to guarantee our fellow citizens free, universal access to radio, whatever the reception mode and wherever they listen.

In this challenging context, rest assured that Arcom, its teams and its college are fully mobilized to defend France's favorite medium.

Thank you for your attention.