French radio takes DAB+ to national TV to defend the dashboard
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
France's cross-industry radio body 'Ensemble pour le DAB+' ran a national TV campaign over the summer getaway period to promote digital radio, as an accelerated rollout targets 80% population coverage by year-end — a whole media category buying TV to defend the car.
What the campaign did
The radio industry body 'Ensemble pour le DAB+' launched a national TV campaign that ran from 31 July to 16 August 2026 across major French broadcaster groups including M6, France TV and BFMTV, timed to the summer holiday getaway. It promoted digital radio's free, internet-free, no-retuning listening in the car.
It coincides with an accelerated 2026 rollout: DAB+ is targeting 80% population coverage by year-end, with over 85% already achieved in-vehicle on major motorways. Broadcast investment in DAB+ exceeds €30 million for stations in 2026.
Why radio is advertising on TV
It's a striking move: a whole media category buying airtime on a rival medium. Faced with streaming and connected dashboards eroding its home turf, French radio is collectively investing to keep listeners tuned to broadcast in the car.
The car is radio's stronghold, and the campaign's summer-getaway timing is deliberate — reaching people exactly when they're about to spend hours driving. It's a category-defence play as much as a technology promotion.
The battle for the dashboard
The connected car is the new front line for audio. Streaming services, podcasts and voice assistants are all competing for dashboard attention, and DAB+ is radio's answer: free, reliable and requiring no data connection.
Coverage is the enabler. By pushing toward 80% population reach and filling in motorway corridors, the industry is removing the practical reasons a driver might switch away from broadcast — the coverage gap that streaming has exploited.
Our read for marketers
The strategic lesson is that sometimes the smartest defence is a collective one. Individual stations couldn't move the market alone; a category-wide campaign can shift perceptions of the whole medium.
For audio advertisers, healthy broadcast radio reach in the car matters. If DAB+ keeps drivers on broadcast rather than ad-light streaming, it protects a valuable, high-attention advertising environment worth planning around.
Quick FAQ
What is the French DAB+ TV campaign?
A national TV campaign by radio body 'Ensemble pour le DAB+', running 31 July-16 August 2026 across M6, France TV and BFMTV, promoting free, internet-free digital radio in the car during the summer getaway.
What coverage is DAB+ targeting?
80% population coverage by the end of 2026, with over 85% already achieved in-vehicle on major motorways, backed by more than €30 million of broadcast investment in 2026.
Why is radio advertising on TV?
To defend the car — its stronghold — against streaming and connected dashboards. A category-wide campaign shifts perceptions of the whole medium in a way individual stations couldn't.
— Oliver Nikolla-Casado, International Markets Reporter at Marketing Minute
Sometimes the smartest defence is collective — a category-wide campaign can shift perceptions of a whole medium in a way individual players never could.
When your whole category is under threat, is competing harder the answer — or is it defending the category together?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Direct-Actu, WorldDAB.
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Written by Oliver Nikolla-Casado, International Markets Reporter at Marketing Minute
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