ORF, Austria’s publicly funded national broadcaster, has reversed its long-standing resistance to digital audio broadcasting by launching a pilot terrestrial broadcast of its flagship station Hitradio Ö3 on DAB+ across Austria from Dec. 19, 2025. ORF operates nationwide radio and television services and plays a central role in public service broadcasting in the country.
The broadcaster had previously declined to participate in DAB+ unless additional program services could be introduced, rejecting a straightforward FM simulcast. Under the current pilot, ORF is transmitting Ö3 via the MUX II platform operated by ORS, its transmission subsidiary, with national coverage.
ORF says the pilot is designed to assess technical performance in areas such as major road corridors, tunnels and reception handover between FM and DAB+. The trial will also examine the use of metadata services, traffic information and emergency messaging, alongside an evaluation of economic and operational factors. Ö3 was selected because of its 24-hour news service and comprehensive traffic reporting, which ORF says provide suitable functional features for the test.
The broadcaster has reiterated that FM remains Austria’s dominant radio platform, citing more than 15 million FM receivers in households. At the same time, ORF acknowledged that DAB+ is gaining relevance, particularly as DAB-capable receivers are now mandatory in new cars sold in the European Union.
A historic moment
The move has been welcomed by Verein Digitalradio Österreich (Digitalradio Austria), which promotes digital terrestrial radio in the country. Roman Gerner, chairman of the association, described ORF’s decision as “a historic moment for the Austrian radio market” and said it positions DAB+ as “a common, future-proof standard” for radio distribution. “We invite ORF to actively help shape this path with us and jointly ignite a real turbo for digital radio,” he said.
Matthias Gerwinat, the association’s general manager, said ORF’s participation is expected to increase awareness and usage of DAB+ among listeners significantly. “We look forward to close cooperation to implement the Radio 2035 roadmap and lead Austria’s radio landscape into the digital future,” he said.
ORF’s decision comes as Austria’s DAB+ platform continues to expand with private and digital-only services. The pilot represents a notable strategic shift for the public broadcaster and is likely to influence future discussions around the long-term evolution of radio distribution in the Austrian market.
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