Get stock info

ticker symbol 1current listingchangeticker symbol 2current listingchangeticker symbol 3current listingchange
Dow11,288.54+73.03Nasdaq2,245.38-6.08S&P1,262.90+1.38
Television © Corbis

Extra10/17/2007 12:01 PM ET

Best Buy pulls plug on analog TVs

The consumer-electronics giant has removed all analog television products from its store shelves and is selling only digital television products.

By The Associated Press

Best Buy said today it has stopped selling analog televisions and pulled all remaining stock from its shelves, signaling the end of an era as consumers increasingly move toward digital products with flat-panel and high-definition screens.

Best Buy (BBY, news, msgs), one of the nation's top electronics retailers, heralded the reign of digital TVs, saying it made the move "as the end of the analog broadcast era draws near."

Best Buy instructed stores to stop selling the products on Oct. 1.

Beginning Feb. 18, 2009, broadcasters will stop transmitting analog signals. Non-digital television sets that are not attached to a cable or satellite service or not equipped with special converter boxes will no longer work.

Best Buy is the first consumer-electronics retailer to report an exit from the analog-TV business.

More than 60 million U.S. households rely on an antennas or analog cable, and cable operators are required to guarantee their customers will receive broadcast channels until February 2012.

Those millions of households offer a lucrative market opportunity for electronics retailers and television manufacturers alike.

"We are committed to helping people understand the digital television transition, and exiting the analog video business is one way we can help avoid confusion," Mike Vitelli, senior vice president of electronics for Best Buy, said in a statement.

After the first of the year, the government will offer every household two coupons worth $40 each that can be used to buy two converter boxes -- devices that pick up digital signals and convert them to analog. Best Buy will sell coupon-eligible converter boxes starting in early 2008.

Rate this Article

Click on the stars below to rate this article from 1 to 5 LowRate it 1Rate it 2Rate it 3Rate it 4Rate it 5High

Advertisement

Fund data provided by Morningstar, Inc. © 2005. All rights reserved.
StockScouter data provided by Gradient Analytics, Inc.
Quotes supplied by Interactive Data.
MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. An investor's best course of action must be based on individual circumstances.