DAB radio sales up over Christmas
DAB radios managed to weather the retail storm this Christmas, boasting sales of more than half a million products in December.
According to figures from the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB), DAB digital radio sold over 2 million products in 2008, up 3% year on year, with 8.53 million cumulative DAB sales to the end of the year – by comparison, total analogue radio sales were down by 7% year on year.
Top selling products over Christmas included DAB clock radios with docking stations, kitchen radios and an in-car DAB adapter, as well as handheld DAB radios and for the first time, radios combining DAB and wi-fi.
Tony Moretta, DRDB’s chief executive, said: “Manufacturers tell us sales of DAB radios this Christmas were held back by a lack of stock in some outlets. Where stock was available, DAB radios sold well and some manufacturers have told us they were working ‘flat out’ until Christmas Eve to supply products.
“Consumer confidence in DAB remains high and it is important that retailers and manufacturers do not lose sight. At a time when other consumer electronics products are suffering declining volumes and value, DAB radio is holding its market position and growing its share versus analogue devices,” he added.
However, in December the chairman of the Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG) predicted that “a million DAB sets” would be sold over the Christmas period, suggesting that sales of the product actually fell below expectations (see Digital radio switchover by 2017).
The future of digital radio has been in doubt since Channel 4 pulled out of the second national commercial multiplex, owned by 4Digital Group, in October (see Channel 4 Abandons Digital Radio Venture).
Channel 4’s exit from 4DG forced the remaining shareholders – Bauer Media, UBC Media, UTV, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse – to dissolve the business and hand the licence back to Ofcom (see Board pull plug on 4DG).
However, in a bid to boost the commercial DAB service, the BBC plans to put one or more of its digital radio stations onto the Digital One national network (see BBC may put stations on Digital One network).
In December, the DRWG set out three key criteria that it believes must be met in order to trigger digital radio migration from analogue – which include making sure at least 50% of total radio listening occurs on digital platforms, that national digital multiplex coverage is comparable to current FM coverage and that local digital multiplexes reach at least 90% of the population.
The DRDB hopes the half a million DAB products that were sold in December go some way to help meet the DRWG’s criteria.
DRDB: 020 7306 2630 www.drdb.org