At Radiodays Europe 2026 in Riga, Xperi highlighted how DTS AutoStage is transforming the connected‑car listening experience and reshaping how broadcasters understand their audiences. As one of the main sponsors, Xperi played a leading role — from a bustling exhibition presence to a high‑impact panel featuring major voices from across the radio ecosystem.
Xperi at RDE 2026: A Showcase of Innovation
The Xperi stand attracted a steady stream of interest from attendees during the event. Broadcasters from across Europe explored hands‑on demos of:
- DTS AutoStage — hybrid radio, in‑car analytics, heatmaps and metadata tools
- AIM Player — flexible, modern streaming app platform for broadcasters
- AIM Rapid — fast to deploy digital radio UX with rich metadata
- TiVo Music Metadata — deep, authoritative metadata powering richer discovery
A key takeaway for attendees was how simple and free it is to integrate their stations and immediately improve their in‑car experience. The platform’s open, broadcaster‑inclusive model, built on participation and editorial control, resonated strongly with teams looking to strengthen their dashboard presence as infotainment systems become more app‑driven and competitive.
A Panel Built for a Changing Industry
To reflect on what the industry has learned — and what connected‑car data now makes possible — Xperi hosted a panel representing public service broadcasters, major commercial stations, emerging DAB+ platforms and international markets. Moderated by George Cernat, Senior Director of Automotive Connected Media at Xperi, the panel included leading industry executives Christian Schalt, CDO at RTL Deutschland; Benoît Bricq, Head of Audio Distribution / Audio Project Manager at RTBF Belgium; Tamara Orbán-Mikus, Program & Music Director at Sláger FM Hungary and Neil O’Brien, Head of Multiplex Operations at FáilteDAB Ireland.
This diversity gave the conversation breadth: from programming to engineering, from distribution to regulation, and from large national networks to agile regional innovators.
From left to right: Neil O’Brien, Benoît Bric, Christian Schalt, George Cernat, Tamara Orbán-Mikus
The Dashboard: Radio’s Most Strategic Advantage
A shared theme emerged early: the car has become radio’s most important listening environment. In many markets, a substantial portion of daily listening happens in vehicles. As infotainment ecosystems grow more fragmented, the native radio screen stands out as radio’s strongest — and often only — strategic advantage.
Connected‑car data now quantifies this reality. Broadcasters can finally see when people listen, where they listen, and what changes their behavior. This visibility is reshaping everything from morning show strategy to transmission planning and DAB+ investment.
In Ireland, real‑world AutoStage data is directly influencing DAB+ regulatory decisions. In Belgium and Hungary, broadcasters now understand the precise geography and timing of their in‑car audiences — insights impossible to obtain through traditional surveys.
DTS AutoStage: Data, Scale and Immediate Clarity
George highlighted AutoStage’s global footprint: more than 14 million vehicles, over 20 billion metadata requests per month and almost 500 million hours of observed listening across 150+ countries.
Yet the true impact lies not in scale, but in the shortened feedback loop. Broadcasters now receive near‑real‑time insights into how listeners behave in the car — a dramatic shift from quarterly averages or recall‑based surveys.
Sláger FM’s Tamara Orbán-Mikus described the moment they first connected to the platform:
“When we connected our station to the DTS AutoStage platform, I felt like I’d won the lottery. I had never seen data like this before — exact, real‑world insight into where our listeners actually are.”
Broadcasters immediately see hour‑by‑hour listening patterns, heatmap‑based travel behavior, event‑driven spikes and music‑level reactions. This new clarity is guiding programming decisions, sales strategies and distribution planning.
Christian Schalt of RTL Deutschland emphasized the value of this increased visibility:
“Every additional data point is valuable. What you don’t measure, you cannot manage — and now we finally see things we couldn’t see before.”
A More Competitive Visual Experience
As dashboards become more visual, DTS AutoStage ensures radio looks and feels modern. Album artwork, show imagery, metadata, lyrics and brand‑consistent presentation help radio stand out alongside streaming apps.
The combination of rich visuals and hybrid delivery keeps radio front‑and‑center in increasingly digital in‑car environments.
Conclusion: When Broadcasters Can Finally See the Car
Radiodays Europe 2026 made one message clear: when broadcasters can finally see how radio performs in the car, everything changes — speed, strategy, competitiveness and confidence.
With DTS AutoStage, Xperi is helping radio move into the connected‑car era with visibility, control and a dramatically stronger presence on the dashboard.
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