August DTV Sales Increase 10%

Sales of digital television (DTV) products continued to sizzle in August with unit sales rising ten percent over last August, according to figures released today by the CEA.

CEA issued the sales figures today simultaneously at the Association for Maximum Service Television’s (MSTV) 18th Annual Television Conference in Washington, D.C. and at CEA’s first 2004 fall HDTVUpdate in Chicago, IL.

“Our industry continues to focus on expanding the market for DTV. The strong sales in August reflect that commitment, ” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “We look forward to dialogue with all interested in the HDTV transition at the fall HDTV update meetings.”

Unit sales for the month of August reached 328,838 units, up 10 percent from the same period in 2003. Dollar sales, which totaled over $479 million, were up seven percent from August 2003. In year-to-date totals, unit sales have reached 2.38 million and dollar sales were more than $3.3 billion.

CEA will be holding five local HDTV update meetings in the fall of 2004. These events help provide a perspective on where the analog to DTV transition is heading. CEA’s program unites local cable operators and broadcasters with retailers and other local DTV leaders to discuss the collaboration to accomplish better consumer awareness of HDTV. After Chicago, the meetings will be held in Newark, NJ (October 5); San Francisco, CA (October 20); Los Angeles, CA (October 21); and New York City (November 10).

The HDTV update meetings are open to anyone in the retail, broadcast, cable and content or programming industries, involved in the HDTV transition. Anyone interested in attending these programs should contact Megan Kinnaird at mkinnaird@ce.org.