SwissMediaCast returns DAB+ license in Ticino

SwissMediaCast is withdrawing from Ticino. The company terminated its DAB+ license in the Italian-speaking region as of March 31, 2026 for economic reasons. Radio coverage will continue to be provided by Digris and the SRG.

SwissMediaCast applied for the license in 2020 at the request of the Swiss-German radio broadcasters. On December 15, 2020, the company put the first six of a total of eight transmitters into operation, enabling an uninterrupted radio experience from Basel to Chiasso for the first time - via both the Gotthard and San Bernardino routes.

Withdrawal after lack of commercialization

The Ticino-based layer was initially able to fill 15 of 18 broadcasting slots. «That was a technical and operational achievement that we are proud of,» says CEO Bernhard Schmid in an interview. In the years that followed, however, a gradual withdrawal set in: individual broadcasters withdrew due to a lack of reach, and further broadcasting slots became vacant as a result of insolvencies. «The hoped-for commercialization failed to materialize, broadcasters withdrew and we had to act economically,» explains Schmid. An efficient solution is being developed for the remaining radio broadcasters to ensure continued broadcasting in Ticino.

Strategic optimizations planned

SwissMediaCast is examining specific optimizations in Eastern Switzerland and Valais. «Both regions offer potential - both for broadcasters and for the network infrastructure,» says Schmid. The strategic decisions also depend on the SRG's announced cost-cutting measures. «If SRG reduces its radio programming or gives up broadcasting slots on our layers, this will create space. This can be an opportunity for independent and local broadcasters if the infrastructure is in place,» says the CEO.

Radio as a highly efficient marketing tool

Schmid vehemently rejects the view that radio seems antiquated in the digital age. «Paradoxically, digital information overkill is the strongest argument in favor of radio.» People are flooded with content on screens, in social media and via push notifications. Radio, on the other hand, can be consumed passively, accompanies everyday life without pressure to pay attention and creates a genuine emotional connection. «This is worth its weight in gold for advertisers,» emphasizes Schmid. DAB+ raises radio to a new level of quality: no noise, no signal loss, but additional information and more program variety.

DAB+ as the foundation of media diversity

Schmid places the withdrawal from Ticino in a wider media policy context. «Radio Switzerland is facing major challenges: It took a pioneering step with the SRG's FM switch-off in 2024, but is now facing political backlash and a temporary loss of reach.» This phase in particular increases the pressure to take action to further develop the digital radio infrastructure in a targeted manner and to anchor its use more broadly. «DAB+ is a stable and energy-efficient foundation for media diversity in times of international streaming services,» says Schmid.

SwissMediaCast's mission is to reliably entertain and inform people in German-speaking Switzerland at all times - whether in a tunnel, in a mountain valley, on the highway or in a conurbation. «It sounds simple, but it is technically sophisticated and important in terms of democratic policy,» says the CEO. SwissMediaCast plans, builds and operates its own broadcasting networks for the DAB+ standard in German-speaking Switzerland and coordinates the activation of the connected radio stations - with the aim of offering digital radio economically, future-proof and in high broadcasting quality.

More information: www.swissmediacast.ch