Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: DAB+ expansion starts – the future of radio begins now!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: DAB+ expansion starts – the future of radio begins now!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is gaining momentum when it comes to the digital future of radio. Probably the last federal state without a nationwide commercial DAB+ multiplex has big plans. How Digital television reports, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Media Authority (MMV) is planning a tender this year to create nationwide, regionalized DAB+ coverage. It is therefore another sign that digitalization cannot be stopped even in the far north.

However, the state treaty in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania does not allow the shared use of the capacities of the state media authority NDR. This is not allowed to give its frequencies to third parties, which makes the situation a little more complicated. The Ostseewelle in particular has been trying for a place on digital radio for years - but a successful result is still pending.

Planned steps and tender

MMV has already submitted a requirement request to the Federal Network Agency, which was successful. However, no specific channel has been determined yet. The expansion will be divided into four regional coverages, with the Rostock region coming first. Further planning depends heavily on the demand from program providers, as the information shows.

The call for proposals itself is expected to take place in 2025, and the formal consultation with those in need is scheduled for October 29, 2025. Both public broadcasters such as Deutschlandradio and ZDF as well as private radio associations such as Vaunet are surveyed. The consultation phase will take around two weeks before the 864 capacity units for the new coverage can be assigned under media law.

The digital radio landscape is on the rise

But new paths are not only being taken in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The digital radio landscape is also very popular throughout Germany. Loud MV media company There is an increase in the digitization rate in audio to an impressive 78 percent, which means that around 51 million people use digital radio programs. This shows: People are ready for digital change!

DAB+ and web radio already account for over 20 percent of total radio usage. Within four weeks, more than 23 million people were already counted among DAB+ users, and there are a good 13 million listeners every day. The stay time of 156 minutes per day confirms that DAB+ is very popular. Web radio is also very popular with almost 17 million users and a viewing time of 114 minutes.

Conclusion: A clear trend

The digital wave has hit the radio landscape, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania finally wants to catch up. It is clear that media companies are actively working to create fair competition conditions in order to improve the discoverability of audio offerings. How The media institutions report, the latest data on digital radio usage is a clear sign of the irreversible evolution of audio usage. From now on it's time to stick with it and keep riding the wave! Everyone can become part of this digital radio revolution in their own way.