DAB Group in U.K. Touts Successes

The Eureka-147 version of digital radio is enjoying demand in the United Kingdom, according to an advocacy group.
The Digital Radio Development Bureau said sales of products increased by 165% compared to the year before. “By December total penetration was estimated at 135,000 sets, up from just 50,000 at the start of the year.”
The group said strong Christmas sales meant that nearly every digital radio in the country sold, “and left many retailers complaining they couldn’t get enough stock to meet demand.”
U.K. consumers also have more choices. “Early in the year the market consisted almost solely of hi-fi tuners,” it stated. “The focus switched in Q3 to a product with more mass-market appeal, the plug-in portable kitchen radio.”
It said the majority of the 85,000 radios sold in the Christmas season were the Pure Digital Evoke-1, priced at about $165. Also being offered are battery-operated DAB radios and FM/DAB/CD and DAB/FM/MP3 portables.
A new ad campaign supports Ford’s involvement in DAB in the car, the group said. And the BBC has promoted its five national digital services vigorously on radio and TV. The most recent BBC DAB station, BBC7, launched in December.