How Are Around 12 Million DAB Radios and 9 Million HD Radios Sold Annually for a Single Environment?

Initial Clues Behind This Phenomenon

The environment where DAB radio thrives covers just a few square meters, doesn’t usually have a TV, tends to feel dull without a media device, and has had mandatory DAB radio presence for almost five years. It’s typically a space where people spend countless hours throughout the year, HD Radio has also established itself in this environment, but in the United States, despite not having the privilege of being benefited by mandatory inclusion in the combo, at least based on the information I found regarding whether it is compulsory or not.

Mandatory Audience of the Standard

These are the conditions of an environment where having a DAB radio is mandatory by standard. And even though it may sound like a kind of confinement with forced consumption of DAB radio, this environment is actually highly desired by millions and sold at high prices: that environment is a brand-new car sold in Europe. Inside that space, listening to anything or having some distraction is welcome, right there in front of the user is a DAB radio that meets a large portion of that need.

If My Mission Were to Massively Spread Digital Radios in the Shortest Time Possible

If I earned €0.10 for every digital radio sold and had the option to sell portable radios (even cheap ones), mid-range and higher-value radios, or in-car radios, I would be absolutely sure to choose cars as the driving force behind my sales, no doubt. That’s where the best return lies in terms of spreading the system.

The number of DAB radios sold in cars would already represent easy money: between 9 to 12 million cars rolled off the line in 2024 with factory-installed DAB radios in Europe. The U.S. isn’t far behind, about 58% of new cars come with HD Radio. Despite HD Radio involving higher costs and being more prone to interference (especially in hybrid mode), the U.S. still reached around 9 million new HD Radios installed in vehicles during the year. It’s a process that gradually popularizes the system.

There is no strategy more efficient for accelerating the spread of a radio standard than the car, it is a vehicle for forced-course distribution.

In both cases, we’re talking about roughly 10 million new digital radios per year being sold, each associated with one of these two standards.

And Cars with DRM?

India is the best benchmark. In 2024, about 4.3 million cars were sold there, and evidence, from scattered insights and inquiries, suggests that only 5% of those may have come with DRM radios, or just over 200,000 units.

This makes DRM both the slowest-moving system and the one with the most room to explode. It has the highest potential for impact. Forcing car manufacturers to include DRM might not be the most satisfying political decision, but if there’s no substantial price difference between traditional AM/FM radios and AM/FM/DRM radios, this mandate would benefit India itself.

Still, prices must not deviate from the average cost of traditional car radios. I understand that it may seem contradictory that a superior technology enabling digital radio reception should not cost more, but it’s up to the industry to focus on volume and digital education. Mass adoption can only happen if receiver prices are competitive. Otherwise, there will be no massification for decades.

On DAB’s Unique Conditions

The extrapolation of 9 to 11.6 million DAB-enabled cars sold in Europe in 2024 — based on an estimate of 70–90% of the 12.91 million new car registrations, is a reasonably likely scenario, with a few caveats.

The European Electronic Communications Code, which since 2020 mandates that new car radios in the EU include terrestrial digital radio (like DAB), indicates that the vast majority of new vehicles in 2024 likely came equipped with DAB — especially in countries with established infrastructure such as Germany, the UK, Norway, and Switzerland.

Australia’s data, showing that 73% of new cars had DAB+ in 2019, reinforces the likelihood of high penetration in Europe, where DAB is even more widespread.

However, the accuracy of this estimate depends on several unaddressed factors:

1. Market variation: DAB adoption differs across European countries. In Norway, DAB is nearly universal, while in parts of Eastern or Southern Europe, penetration may be much lower due to weaker infrastructure.

2. Entry-level models: Cheaper cars might not include DAB by default in every market, despite regulation.

3. Manufacturer implementation: Compliance can vary. Some automakers might choose workarounds or exclude DAB from specific models.

Thus, although the estimate is grounded in regulatory and market trends, it is still a broad approximation. For precise numbers, consulting data from ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers' Association) or WorldDAB for 2024 would be advisable.

Dealing with the Reality of the Numbers

Source: Nielsen Audio Today 2023 – Westwood One

The automotive environment is the true stronghold of radio. It is the best place to invest and spread innovations. The best strategy for introducing a new standard should start with cars.

The Coming DRM Boom

The real DRM boom would come from moving from 5% to over 80% of cars sold with DRM radios. That’s when true massification will happen.

This would require India’s radio manufacturing sector to become robust enough to supply a significant share of the market domestically, and prices would need to compete directly with AM/FM analog radios. Otherwise, making DRM mandatory could become a burden to consumers.

Breaking Market Logic

What if countries that import Indian cars received them equipped with AM/FM + DRM on shortwave? Does it make sense? Here’s the truth: the “different” never makes sense, until it becomes revolutionary. Is such an adaptation cheap? Probably not. But in large-scale markets, many breakthroughs stem from paradigm shifts and seemingly absurd ideas.