The migration to digital radio is going swiftly in Switzerland.
OFCOM, the Swiss Federal Office of Communication, says DAB+ is now the most widely used radio reception method in the country, and that only one in eight people say they still tune in exclusively to FM radio.
“In autumn 2020, radio listeners received an average of 73 out of 100 radio minutes per day via digital means. Digital radio usage has thus increased by 24 percentage points over the last five years,” it said, citing a report from the Digital Migration working group at the Swiss Broadcasting Corp. GfK Annual Meeting.
“At 41 percent, DAB+ is the most widely used reception mode in all parts of the country and in all age groups. Usage via the other two digital reception channels, internet radio and digital TV, has remained virtually constant, levelling off at 32 percent, while FM use has fallen by 24 percentage points over the past five years, and now stands at 27 per cent. Only 12 out of 100 people stated that they still listen to FM radio.”
Switzerland’s radio industry will switch entirely from FM to digital broadcasting via DAB+ in 2022 and 2023.
The SRG will switch off its FM transmitters in August 2022, and private radio stations will do so by January 2023.
