Sony To Drive Growth In Digital Radio Market
The cost of digital radio receivers looks set to drop dramatically with news that leading consumer technology manufacturer, Sony, is to enter the market.
Sony’s digital radios are expected to launch early next year and will undercut the price of the cheapest digital receivers, which currently retail at £99 (see DAB Receivers Could Revolutionise Radio Advertising).
The news has been welcomed by the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) and Annika Nyberg, president of the world DAB forum, said: “Sony’s involvement in digital radio in the commercial field brings the final ingredient for success in a mass market worldwide. Sony is a global player and their greater commitment to digital radio, both DAB and DRM, is fantastic news.”
Fenno de Boer, group marketing manager at Sony Europe, added: “We are actively supporting the spread of digital radio broadcasting in Europe and through our partnership with members of DAB and DRM we believe we can expand the usage of digital radio in Europe.”
He continued: “Sony launched the world’s first transistor radio for the mass market in 1955 and Sony’s success in the radio receiver market was the cornerstone on which the company was built. We continue to be technological innovators in radio and are actively supporting the spread of digital radio broadcasting.”
Consumers are catching on to the benefits of digital radio and recent research from Dixons suggests the revolution is rapidly gathering pace with digital radios now accounting for half the sales of all portable radio sets.
The electronics retailer, which made around 50% of its radio set revenues from digital devices, claims the increasing range and affordability of DAB receivers has led to to a significant increase in sales, with consumers snapping up a range of digital devices priced between £90 and £200 (see Consumers Catch On To Digital Radio As Sales Increase).
Sales of DAB digital radios increased by 165% in 2002 and look set to more than double in 2003, according to the DRDB (see Sales Of DAB Digital Radios Boom In 2002).
DRDB: 020 7306 2630 www.drdb.org
Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine Chrysalis Brings Telewest To Heart Of West Midlands Industry Responds To Rejection Of Electronic Measurement Classic FM Listeners Respond Better To Ads
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left