Behind the scenes

End of FM drives demand for DAB+ devices

19/12/2024

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

The imminent end to FM is driving up sales of DAB+ adapters for cars and home radios. Car adapters in particular are selling at a disproportionately high rate and are barely available any more, while classic DAB+ radio sales are growing rather slowly in comparison.

Silence falls. On 1 January 2025, Swiss Radio and Television (SRG) will discontinue its FM frequencies forever. Private radio stations will follow suit at the end of 2026. By then at the latest, older cars will no longer receive an FM radio signal if the owners don’t retrofit their vehicles. SRG’s public radio stations have a market share of just under 60 per cent. It’s already obvious that listeners don’t want to go without their favourite radio station. Accordingly, Digitec Galaxus customers have been snapping up adapters for weeks. The online retailer is struggling with supply bottlenecks as a result. «Demand is massive throughout Europe. We only receive stock in small batches,» says buyer Martin Baumann.

DAB+ adapters for cars: demand peaks

Adapters simplify the retrofitting of existing car radios and are the ideal solution for many people as a result. The impending changeover has boosted their sales figures. Martin reports: «We were informed early on about the expected demand by our suppliers and have tried to prepare ourselves accordingly. However, the actual extent far exceeded our expectations. There were already bottlenecks in August, and hardly any devices have been available since November.» Martin believes the supply problems will persist for a few more months: «I assume that we’ll have enough devices to meet demand in stock again from February 2025.» Martin expects demand for DAB+ devices to remain high until the FM switch-off at the end of 2026.

The December figures are dated from 17.12.2024

Demand for car adapters was significantly higher throughout the year than in 2023. Orders have risen significantly since July and were 760 per cent higher than during the same month last year. In October and November, growth rose to 2,100 and 1,800 per cent respectively. A comparison with previous months is impressive too: 430 per cent more adapters were sold in July than in June. In October, growth even jumped to 1,300 per cent compared to the previous month of September. Since October, a campaign has been providing information on the FM switch-off and the advantages of DAB+. This campaign seems to have significantly increased interest once again. «Demand is so high that we could have sold significantly more devices if we had better availability,» says Martin.

DAB+ radios for the home: comparatively moderate growth

Sales of traditional DAB+ radios are also growing nicely. In November 2024, the online retailer recorded an increase of 273 per cent compared to the previous year. During the first few days of December, sales had already risen by 96 per cent compared to the previous year. The availability of radios looks good. Suppliers have sufficient devices in stock and growth remains more moderate compared to car adapters.

The December figures are dated from 17.12.2024

For customers who can’t wait, Martin has a tip: «If your car offers Bluetooth or a cable connection, your smartphone can be used as a radio. And if you still want an adapter, you can take your vehicle to a trusted workshop for professional installation.»

Are you prepared for the end of FM? How will you tackle this change?

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Manuel Wenk

Communications Manager

Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.

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