The French radio sector must set itself the objective of switching to entirely digital broadcasting in 2033, which will lead to the disappearance of FM, concludes a report published Tuesday by Arcom, the audiovisual regulator.
2033 is not a deadline fixed in advance but a “target date”, underlined Hervé Godechot, member of the Arcom college, presenting this “white paper” on the future of radio.
The end of the FM “seems essential” but it is “premature to set a date today” even if 2033 is a desirable deadline, he continued, pleading for a “pragmatic approach” and progressive.
In recent years, the radio sector has been working on the transition from traditional analogue terrestrial broadcasting (FM) to digital terrestrial broadcasting (a technology called DAB+), as television did with DTT.
At the same time, the other mode of listening is that which is done via the Internet (20% currently compared to 80% for terrestrial according to Arcom). When FM disappears, radio will switch to all-digital, DAB+ on the one hand and Internet on the other.
Largely ignored by the general public, this issue is crucial for the sector.
DAB+ offers better sound quality with lower transmission costs than FM, no longer requires knowing the frequency of a radio to listen to it and allows you to stay on the same station, without crackling or interruption, during a long car ride.
This assumes that DAB+ correctly covers the territory (62% of the population is currently covered) and that the French equip themselves with radios and car radios capable of receiving it. Arcom sets the objective of an equipment rate of 70% by the end of 2033.
Its white paper proposes a transition in two phases: one of “preparation” between 2024 and 2027, the other of “migration” between 2028 and 2033.
In this context, the regulator recommends in particular “adapting” the rules for quotas for French-speaking songs broadcast on the radio. Objective: “reduce asymmetry” with new competitors such as streaming platforms like Spotify.
He also recommends state budgetary aid for radios and municipal equipment.
The radio media “is at a crossroads”, commented the president of Arcom, Roch-Olivier Maistre, while live listening time is decreasing, especially among young people, and new uses on demand are installed with podcasts.
