Member News
Increased Sales of TVs, Receivers, and Professional Headends — Institutional Sector Still in Transition
Frankfurt/Main February 17, 2025
The termination of ARD program transmission in SD quality via satellite has led to a special boom in the business with TVs and receivers (“set-top boxes”) for HDTV reception. According to current figures from GfK, around 1.6 million TV sets were sold in the fourth quarter of 2024 — 6.2 percent more than in the same period of the previous year. With the activation of notice boards in the ongoing ARD programs from mid-November 2024 until the shutdown in early January 2025 and the weeks thereafter, this development gained further momentum. This is shown by a look at the receiver sales, which noticeably increased during this period. From November 2024 (78,000 units) through December 2024 (130,000 units), receiver sales increased more than threefold by the end of January 2025 (277,000 units). These figures are significantly above those of the previous year. Even though many affected households acted in advance, the actual shutdown expectedly triggered the greatest surge. Currently, receiver sales are moving back towards the usual level, and the transition is likely completed in most affected households.
Institutional Sector: Transition Underway, Delivery Backlogs Hamper Progress
A challenge was and remains the transition in the institutional sector, such as in hotels, hospitals, and senior and care facilities. Here, the process is significantly more complex, as not only may the device population need to be upgraded to HD, but often the reception technology of communal systems as well. This requires coordination, financing, and planning phases that need to be considered. In this environment, manufacturers of professional satellite reception systems are experiencing increased demand due to the SD shutdown. Currently, there are still delivery backlogs that need to be gradually reduced to make the communal systems suitable for HD reception.
Informing potentially affected institutions was therefore a central aspect of the Round Table on SD shutdown last year. Under the umbrella of the German TV Platform, ARD, AG SAT, ANGA, cable network and satellite operators, the housing industry, consumer centers, electrical trade (ZVEH, Central Association of the German Electrical and Information Technology Trades) as well as the electrical and digital industry (ZVEI e.V.) exchanged views on the shutdown. The focus was on transparent communication and open discussion among all parties involved to constructively accompany the termination process and identify problems as early as possible. Even though the transition in the institutional sector is not yet complete, the Round Table has actively contributed to the successful end of the SD distribution era at ARD after more than 27 years. The insights and results from the round are also a good template for the SD shutdown of ZDF, which will follow in November 2025.
