According to the The Digital Radio Development Bureaus latest Five-Year DAB Digital Radio Forecast, UK digital radio sales are set to boom:
13 million cumulative units by 2008
Annual market value nearly £500 million by 2008
Household penetration 29% by 2008
By 2008, the forecast predicts there will be more than 13 million DAB digital radios in UK homes, up from around one million at the end of 2004. This represents an increase of 1200%. The annual market value in 2008 is expected to be almost £500 million across all product segments. The 2004 market value is anticipated to be around £90 million. This represents an increase of 448%.
The biggest growth is expected to come in products such as boomboxes, hi-fi systems and clock radios, with sales of new memory radios also expected to grow over the five-year period. Hi-fi systems see the biggest growth with annual volume jumping from 62,000 in 2004 to 952,000 in 2008. One of the biggest stories to emerge over the next few years will be an increase in the number of people listening to DAB digital radio in their cars. This, it is expected, will result largely from an increase in factory line-fit by major car manufacturers.
The Five Year Forecast has been produced by the DRDB and Digital One, (the national commercial DAB digital radio multiplex operator) and independently audited. The figures within the forecast have the backing of many leading manufacturers, including Sony, Philips, Sharp, JVC and Sanyo who believe them to be a credible set of achievable targets.