Half a million DAB radios sold at Christmas

Nearly 500,000 digital radios were sold in the UK in December, putting cumulative sales at 2.7m by the end of 2005, according to market research for the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB).

The DRDB said 1.5m DAB receivers were sold in 2005, and 5.4m people were now listening to digital radio.
DRDB chief executive Ian Dickens said: “Christmas on the High Street was a tough proposition this year. DAB digital radio was once again a shining light with independents, the multi-nationals and especially the mass-merchandisers enjoying strong sales right through the holidays and into January.”

The DRDB sees Ofcom’s plan to release new spectrum for digital radio as an opportunity to boost receiver sales and digital listening further.
In September the DRDB published a forecast suggesting digital radio was on course for a 40% UK household penetration by 2009.