DVB-T2 migration gives big boost to German set-top sales

Germany’s migration from the DVB-T digital-terrestrial TV standard to the more modern DVB-T2 format provided a bonanza for set-top box sales in the first half of this year, according to the latest figures released by consumer electronics industry association the GFU.

According to the outfit’s Hemix home electronics market index for the two quarters to June, the value of set-top box sales jumped by 255% to €349 million, while the volume of boxes sold grew by 172% to 3.4 million.

The number of TV sets sold meanwhile grew by 3.4% to 3.4 million, while the value of TV sets sold grew by 3.1%.

In addition to the switch from DVB-T to DVB-T2, sales of boxes and TV sets was boosted by the shutting down of analogue cable transmissions in three Federal states.

Overall, Germanys’ consumer electronics market saw sales growth of 2.4% in the first half to €12.5 billion.

Other categories of CE goods had mixed fortunes over the same period. Videogame consoles saw sales rise by 43.6% in value terms and by 53.7% in unit terms, while audio and video accessories saw sales grow by 21.2% in value terms. Smartphone sales increased by 3.9% in value terms, while the number of units shipped declined by 3.4%. Wearables saw sales grow by 32.9% in value terms, and by 19.6% in units.

The value of digital camera sales grew by 4%, despite a decline in the number of units sold of 16%.

Sales of PCs continue to decline sharply, by 10% in value terms.