The SD switch-off by German public broadcaster ARD on the Astra satellite system at 19.2° East in January 2025 has led to a significant increase in the sales of TV sets and set-top boxes.
Around 1.6 million TV sets were sold in Q4 2024 in Germany – a 6.2% increase compared to the previous year, reports industry association Deutsche TV-Plattform with reference to figures from market research company GfK. Demand for HDTV set-top boxes saw an even stronger rise, with sales nearly tripling from November 2024 to January 2025.
With the introduction of on-screen captions on ARD’s SD channels from mid-November 2024 and the SD switch-off in early January 2025, consumer demand surged. Sales figures for set-top boxes climbed from 78,000 units in November to 130,000 in December and eventually reached 277,000 in January 2025. While many households had already switched to HD in advance, the shutdown triggered an additional sales boost. Sales have since returned to normal levels, indicating that most affected households have completed the transition.
While the move is largely completed for private households, it remains a challenge in institutional locations such as hotels, hospitals and senior care facilities. Here, not only individual devices need to be replaced, but often the entire communal reception infrastructure must be upgraded. This results in longer planning and financing phases, making the process more complex. Manufacturers of professional reception systems are experiencing high demand and are currently working to clear existing delivery backlogs, according to Deutsche TV-Plattform.
The industry association organised a round table on the SD switch-off to help inform affected institutions at an early stage. Representatives from ARD, AG SAT, ANGA, cable and satellite operators, the housing industry, consumer protection groups, and the electronics industry discussed the transition. The focus was on transparent communication and early identification of potential problems.
Although the transition in some venues is not yet fully complete, the successful process of ARD’s move from SD to HD broadcasting on satellite is seen as a model for the upcoming SD switch-off by fellow public broadcaster ZDF on 18 November 2025.
