WorldDAB Automotive 2026: Radio’s future depends on more than listening

FRANKFURT — Broadcasters, automotive manufacturers, technology suppliers, receiver makers and policymakers gathered in Frankfurt on 11 June for WorldDAB Automotive 2026, the annual event focused on the future of radio in the connected vehicle.

Opening the conference, WorldDAB president Jacqueline Bierhorst described the car dashboard as a rapidly evolving software-driven environment shaped by apps, platforms, voice assistants and connected services, while arguing that broadcast radio remains a core element of the in-car experience.

“Broadcast radio remains one of the most important and valued media in the car,” Bierhorst said. “It’s immediate, it’s trusted, it’s familiar and easy to use.” She added that DAB+ provides a “strong modern broadcast foundation for radio in the car” and that “the strongest future is hybrid,” combining the strengths of broadcast delivery with the added functionality of IP services.

Bierhorst also argued that radio’s future in the connected car depends on continued collaboration between broadcasters, automotive manufacturers, technology suppliers and policymakers. Pointing to the impact of the European Electronic Communications Code on DAB+ adoption in vehicles, she said regulatory frameworks can help ensure universal access, preserve listener choice and maintain the prominence of free-to-air radio as dashboards become increasingly connected and software-driven.

An inseparable duo

The opening session centered on new international research commissioned by WorldDAB and conducted by Fifty5Blue, based on 8,000 interviews with recent vehicle buyers or lessees across Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Presenting the findings, Julie Soulsby, insight director and Phyllis Chen, insight manager of Fifty5Blue, argued that radio and the car remain “an inseparable duo.” According to the study, 83% of respondents listen to radio in the car, making it the most widely used in-car audio source. Half said radio is the audio source they use most often, compared with 20% for music streaming services.

Radio also remains a key expectation when purchasing a new vehicle. Asked which features were “must-haves” in a new car, 62% selected radio, placing it ahead of built-in navigation, touchscreen displays and smartphone mirroring systems. Eighty-five percent of in-car radio listeners agreed with the statement: “I would really miss having radio in my car.”

Ease of use emerged as a recurring theme. Ninety-six percent of radio listeners agreed that radio is easy to use, while 87% said it is “always just one click away.” The study also highlighted radio’s public-service role, with 83% describing it as very important during emergencies and 52% saying it would be their first source of information while driving in a crisis. 

Public-value media

Participants in a subsequent industry discussion highlighted discoverability, metadata, voice control and dashboard prominence as critical factors for radio’s future in increasingly connected vehicles. The question of how radio can remain visible and easily accessible within increasingly complex vehicle interfaces resurfaced in several later sessions.

One example came from Germany, where Audi, Cariad, BLM (the Bavarian regulatory authority for new media) and Bayerische Medientechnik presented a proof of concept to support the discoverability of so-called public-value radio services. The initiative builds on Germany’s existing public-value framework, under which selected media services are recognized for their contribution to media plurality and diversity of opinion and are required to remain easy for audiences to find. 

Presenting the project, Veit Olischläger, BLM head of technology, media economics and public relations, argued that vehicle dashboards are increasingly evolving from neutral distribution platforms into environments where content discovery is shaped by software and algorithms. “Platforms are increasingly shifting from neutral distributors to algorithm-driven selectors,” he said.

Rather than relying on a permanent internet connection, the partners demonstrated a concept that uses DAB metadata to identify and organize public value radio services within the vehicle interface. While still at the testing stage, the project offered an early glimpse of how broadcasters, regulators and automotive manufacturers may address prominence requirements in future connected vehicles.

DAB+ growing

Policy and regulation were also central themes in a presentation from Javier Sánchez, director of audiovisual policy and public service at Radio Televisión Española. Sánchez reported significant progress towards Spain’s long-awaited DAB+ rollout, saying the country’s draft Royal Decree on Digital Radio is expected to be approved later this year, creating the framework for nationwide DAB+ expansion. According to Sánchez, Radio Nacional de España is expected to lead the deployment, introducing up to six new DAB+ services and progressively extending coverage to 50% of the population by 2027, 70% by 2028 and 80% by 2029. He also highlighted challenges associated with the transition, including unauthorized DAB+ transmissions, and outlined plans for a national register of digital radio services intended to support enforcement and spectrum management.

Data and analytics provided another perspective on the conference themes. George Cernat, Xperi senior director, automotive connected media and Gereon Joachim, Xperi vice president, automotive sales and strategy, EMEA, presented listening data collected from DTS AutoStage-equipped vehicles in Germany, offering a snapshot of how drivers are using digital radio in a mature DAB+ market. According to the company, 89.8% of radio listening in participating vehicles was delivered via DAB+, compared with 10.2% via FM. The data also highlighted the growing role of digital-only services: 80s80s, available exclusively via DAB+, ranked as the second most-listened-to station in the analyzed vehicles, behind only SWR3. In contrast, eight of the twenty most popular services were DAB-only brands.

Updated figures from Ireland following the Dublin DAB+ trial pointed in a similar direction. Based on the listening activity recorded between January and February 2026, DAB accounted for 29.6% of total in-vehicle listening, up from the previously reported 20.3%. Listening directed to DAB-only stations also increased, reaching 28.8% of all DAB listening, compared with 21.8% in the earlier dataset.

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