Global flat-panel TV shipments growing again

Worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions, a category consisting of liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma sets, rose to 48.9 million units in the second quarter, up 3.6 percent from 47.2 million from the first quarter. The figure attached presents the preliminary IHS estimate of quarterly flat-panel television shipments, based on data from the Worldwide Monthly TV Tracker. Final second-quarter results will be issued later this month. “After an unusually weak start to 2012, global television shipments showed some signs of life in the second quarter,” said Tom Morrod, senior analyst and head of TV technology at IHS. “While television shipments typically decline in the first quarter following the peak Christmas selling season, the drop this year was unusually sharp because of tentative consumer spending. The return to growth in the second quarter follows normal seasonal patterns for television shipment growth, and likely signals further growth ahead in the third quarter.” The second quarter started off on a strong note, with shipments in April rising by 4 percent from March to reach the highest levels of the year up to that point, according to data from the Displaybank Worldwide Monthly TV Tracker. While shipments declined slightly in May and June, the increase in April was sufficient to drive growth for the entire second quarter. Worldwide LCD TV shipments increased 3.4 percent in the second quarter, following a 29.3 percent drop in the first quarter. While worldwide plasma shipments are generally declining, they enjoyed a 6.6 percent bump in the second quarter, compared to a 39.5 percent plunge in the first quarter. Samsung remains on top in LCD TVs; TCL posts strongest growth among Top 5 In the LCD segment, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of flat-panel display shipments, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. remained the leading brand in the second quarter, according to the preliminary estimate. Samsung was responsible for 19.2 percent of unit shipments, down just slightly from 19.3 percent in the first quarter. LG Electronics held its second-place ranking with a 13.2 percent share of shipments, unchanged from the first quarter. The table attached presents a preliminary ranking of the world’s Top 5 LCD-TV brands based on data from the Worldwide Monthly TV Tracker. IHS will issue a final market-share ranking in full detail later this month. “Samsung continues to be dominant because of its shrewd marketing, global distribution and efficient production,” Morrod observed. “Both Samsung and fellow South Korean brand LG are able to undercut their Japanese rivals on pricing, allowing them to retain their leadership. And with the Japanese market contracting dramatically, the companies based in the country have struggled to find new volume sales opportunities elsewhere.” The strongest performance among the Top 5 was posted by No. 4-ranked TCL Corp. of China, which increased its share of shipments to 6.5 percent, up from 5.9 percent in the first quarter. “TCL is prospering both because of overseas sales—which were up by about 150,000 units in the second quarter—and due to domestic Chinese sales,” Morrod said. “The company is taking advantage of capitalizing on rising sales in China in addition to upping its stature abroad.”