In a nation where watching TV is still a widespread pastime, new types of television sets have changed the consumer experience. Smart TVs, flatter and often less heavy than their predecessors, can be connected to the internet at home, thus allowing further access to already existing video streaming subscriptions, various viewing options via apps and online media libraries of public broadcasters, and consumption on a bigger screen. Around 5.5 million smart TV sets were sold in Germany in 2021. By comparison, tube or CRT TVs, have gradually ceased generating sales during the 2000s. TVs with LCD screens were the type sold the most to private consumers in Germany.
Audio and photo equipment are other important product groups on the German consumer electronics market. Headphones, big and small, plug-in and bluetooth, are used for a variety of purposes, be it listening to music, gaming, viewing content or work. Sales have gone up significantly in recent years, with 15.85 million units sold in 2021. Meanwhile, the opposite was true for digital cameras. Sales have plummeted compared to the first decade of the 21st century, with 1.57 units sold 2020. This can be attributed to the fact that most smartphones have built-in cameras, and faced with a choice, consumers will likely pick one device serving multiple purposes instead of two separate ones.
