Friday, July 25, 2008
HD Radio Not Ready for Prime Time
According to a recent Billboard article, U.S. HD radio sales totaled about 300,000 units in 2007, with about 1 million units expected to be sold this year. Even though some radio models have tumbled below $100, consumers aren't swallowing the pill....One reason may be the fact that there are over 13K stations, but only 8k ones with 'different or original content' for the side channels...
Also, according to a consumer survey conducted in January by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, "only 24% of respondents said they had "heard/read anything recently about HD radio," down slightly from 26% a year earlier."
If you can't win the loyalty (and wallet) of the American consumer the ol' fashioned way, well, just cheat......"As satellite broadcasters XM and Sirius await FCC approval of their proposed merger, some members of Congress have voiced support for iBiquity's request that the FCC require all new satellite receivers to include HD radio capability." So, let me get this straight. The service isn't compelling enough or affordable for the mass market to adopt it, so let's just force it down their throats instead?
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"HD Radio spinners claim a breakthrough year: Pulling a fast one"
"According to a press release from the Alliance 330,000 HD receivers were sold last year. This is a 725 per cent increase from the 40,000 sets purchased a year earlier and therefore 2007 was a 'breakthrough year' for the technology. In 2008 they will sell a million of the things."
http://tinyurl.com/4zgkaw
I wouldn't believe anything that iBiquity states - The Inquirer sure called their bluff. Many have been disappointed with the performace of HD radios, and with all of the returns, I bet the actual figure is around 100,000. Funny, that there has never been an independent audit of the actual number sold.
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