TV speaker sales double in a year

Further growth expected, says Futuresource

Global sales of standalone units of two or more speakers for connection to a TV doubled in unit terms to 2.5 million between 2010 and 2011, Futuresource Consulting has found.

According to a statement from the analyst, its latest consumer electronics report shows the products – dubbed "soundbars" – will see expanding demand worldwide until at least 2016.

"In the middle of the last decade, soundbars were targeted at relatively high-end consumers without the space for complete home theatre systems, which are also associated with multiple speakers and wires, but who wanted good-quality sound," Futuresource said.

"As the flat-panel TV boom has continued, the sound quality of some TV sets has been compromised in the shift towards ever-thinner designs. This has resulted in more soundbars emerging in the market."

Soundbars do not target real audio aficionados, but buyers who are nevertheless interested in improving the audio performance of their TV.

"In some territories, many retailers have reinforced this point with consumers, suggesting a soundbar as an additional purchase at the same time that they buy the TV," Futuresource said.

North America leads, accounting for two thirds of soundbar shipments. Europe comes in second, with 20 per cent of the market.

"[North America] is expected to remain the largest world market out to 2016. Vendors and retailers alike have vigorously promoted soundbars to the consumer and premium TV brands have benefited from bundling TV sets and soundbars, often at a discount," Futuresource said.

However, even though expansion of the soundbar market will continue, penetration will reach just two per cent of global households by 2016. "It will not become mass-market," added the analyst.

The predictions are based on Futuresource's recent Living with Digital analysis.