September DTV Product Sales Make New Record

[Gregg Lengling]

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) issued August and September factory-to-dealer unit sales of digital television (DTV) products--integrated sets and displays--during CEA's Industry Forum and Fall Conference. DTV product sales totaled 236,484 units and $378,724,797 in August, which increased 72 percent in units and 55 percent in dollars compared to the same period in 2001. September unit sales totaled 260,979 on dollar sales of $439,566,824--an increase over 2001 of 77 percent and 64 percent respectively and the highest unit and dollar sales total for a single month in DTV product history. DTV products first entered the consumer market in the fourth quarter of 1998.

CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro also announced that DTV integrated set sales for January through August of this year totaled 106,030 units and $240,377,578, demonstrating the direct correlation between an increase in compelling digital programming and consumers' desire for an integrated DTV solution.

"Digital television--high-definition television, in particular--continues to take off in this country in the consumer marketplace," Shapiro said during his opening remarks at the Fall Conference. "Consumers received tremendous news in August and September as more HDTV programming announcements were made by major networks and these DTV sales figures prove that as more compelling, digitally-originated programming--like major sporting events and movies--is made available to Americans, consumers will have more reason to visit their local retailer to hear and see HDTV for themselves and find the right DTV equipment solution for their household.

"The consumer marketplace clearly is thriving and we hope to see more cable providers, who supply nearly 70 percent of American households with their television signal, participating in the HDTV transition, as well--both in terms of HDTV programming carriage and DTV equipment compatibility."

CEA reported that DTV unit sales for the year now total 1,585,541 on dollar sales of more than $2.7 million. The year-to-date total is 83 percent higher than the same period in 2001 and 69 percent higher in dollar sales.

DTV products are defined by CEA as integrated sets and monitors displaying active vertical scanning lines of at least 480p and, in the case of integrated sets, receiving and decoding ATSC terrestrial digital transmissions. CEA projects that 2.1 million DTV products--including integrated sets and displays--will be sold in 2002, 4 million in 2003, 5.4 million in 2004, 8 million in 2005, and 10.5 million in 2006.

Data cited in this release is available for purchase through CEA's Market Activity Reports and Analysis (MARA) program. For more information, visit www.eBrain.org/mara.