Wireless speakers and soundbar shipments exceeded market expectation and accounted for the lion’s share, far outweighing the decline in demand for traditional audio devices (i.e., A/V receivers and Hi-Fi systems). The wireless speaker market was fueled by strong growth in Bluetooth speakers in the lower end of the price spectrum and multiroom audio at the premium end.Home audio devices increasingly offer wireless functionality and shipments with this feature grew by 93% from 27 million units in 2013 to 53 million units in 2014. Futuresource predicts that virtually all home audio devices will be wireless by 2019, “consumers seek connectivity to popular streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, as well as to other devices such as their smartphone,” commented Rasika Iyer, Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting.
Futuresource projects continued growth for the home audio market over the coming years, with a volume growth of 8% CAGR by 2019, to reach 108 million units.
According to the report, North America currently dominates, accounting for 43% of the worldwide market. However, that is expected to fall to 38% by 2019 due, partly to the increasing popularity of wireless speakers in the Asia Pacific market.
“The home audio market is undergoing rapid change,” commented Jack Wetherill, Senior Market Analyst, Home Electronic at Futuresource Consulting. “As dedicated wireless speaker and soundbar brands grow significantly, we are seeing traditional CE brands shift their focus to wireless audio to remain competitive in the market.”
The importance of the home audio market will be discussed as part of Futuresource’s Audio Renaissance Conference, to be held in London on October 20, 2015. The event will include market and insight presentations from the Futuresource team, as well as a series of key notes and panel discussions from leading companies in the audio hardware, content, broadcast, service provider, and technology sectors.
For more information about Audio Renaissance, to register, sponsor or make a speaker slot enquiry please visit www.futuresource-consulting.com/futuresource-conferences-events.html
For further information or to purchase the report, please visit https://reports.futuresource-consulting.com
