WorldCast Systems Co-President Christophe Poulain discusses the transition toward hybrid radio ecosystems that integrate FM, DAB+, and IP streaming. The conversation highlights the industry's focus on operational efficiency, remote network management, and the strategic role of broadcast infrastructure in an IP-centric world.
The shift toward a hybrid ecosystem confirms that IP streaming is a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, traditional broadcast layers. By maintaining FM and DAB+ alongside digital apps, broadcasters ensure reach during network congestion while leveraging IP for personalized listener data. This strategy forces hardware providers to evolve from simple transmitter manufacturers into systems integrators focused on uptime and energy efficiency. As telecom and broadcast networks converge through standards like 5G Broadcast, the industry must balance the low cost of FM with the high-bandwidth potential of digital platforms. Watch for whether economic uncertainty in markets like France further delays the transition from FM to DAB+.
WorldCast Systems operates in a broadcast transmission market where hybrid strategies combining FM, DAB+, and IP delivery are becoming the dominant operational model across Europe. In March 2025, the European Broadcasting Union published a report showing that DAB+ coverage had reached 78% of the EU population, yet FM listening still accounted for 62% of total radio consumption in markets like France and Germany. This gap between coverage and actual listener migration is precisely the scenario WorldCast Systems addresses with its hybrid transmitter and remote-management platforms. Christophe Poulain's emphasis on maintaining FM alongside digital layers reflects a broader industry consensus that premature FM switch-off carries political and audience risks. Norway's 2017 FM switch-off remains the only national-scale example, and its mixed reception has made other European regulators cautious about mandating similar timelines.
On the regulatory and business side, France's DAB+ rollout has faced repeated delays tied to funding disputes between public and commercial broadcasters. The French media regulator Arcom confirmed in June 2025 that metropolitan DAB+ multiplex licenses would not be fully allocated before 2027, a timeline that keeps FM infrastructure commercially essential for at least another cycle. Meanwhile, the European Commission's 2024 Radio Spectrum Policy Programme included language encouraging member states to plan for eventual FM sunset, but without binding deadlines. For hardware vendors like WorldCast Systems, this regulatory ambiguity creates sustained demand for dual-mode transmitters and remote monitoring tools that can serve both analog and digital layers simultaneously. The company's positioning as a systems integrator rather than a pure transmitter supplier aligns with procurement trends among public broadcasters seeking single-vendor accountability for mixed-standard networks.
Competing transmission hardware vendors are pursuing similar hybrid positioning. Rohde & Schwarz launched its R&S TMx968 transmitter family in late 2024 with integrated DAB+ and FM capability, targeting the same mid-power segment where WorldCast Systems competes. SDI remains primary infrastructure for 70 percent of broadcasters despite IP push, a trend that mirrors the slow transition in radio transmission. Nautel, the Canadian transmitter manufacturer, reported in its 2025 annual update that hybrid FM/DAB+ configurations represented over 40% of new orders in Europe, confirming that dual-standard hardware is now the default procurement choice. On the standards front, 5G Broadcast transmitters trials in Germany and Italy continued through 2025 with field tests demonstrating mobile reception at highway speeds, though commercial deployment timelines remain uncertain. These trials represent a potential future layer in the hybrid stack that WorldCast Systems and its competitors will need to support, extending the convergence narrative Poulain outlined from FM and DAB+ into the cellular broadcast domain.
WorldCast Systems is advocating for hybrid radio broadcast strategies that integrate FM, DAB+, and IP streaming. This approach prioritizes network resilience and operational efficiency as broadcasters transition to data-driven platforms. By maintaining traditional broadcast layers alongside digital apps, companies can ensure reach during network congestion while leveraging personalized listener data.
Broadcasters maintain FM alongside digital layers to ensure reach during network congestion and to mitigate the political and audience risks associated with a premature FM switch-off.
As of March 2025, the European Broadcasting Union reported that DAB+ coverage had reached 78% of the EU population.
Hardware vendors are evolving from simple transmitter manufacturers into systems integrators, focusing on remote management, energy efficiency, and providing dual-mode transmitters that support both analog and digital layers.
5G Broadcast is being tested as a potential future layer in the hybrid stack, aiming to extend the convergence of radio delivery into the cellular broadcast domain.
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