Vizio still leading U.S. LCD-TV market

Dylan McGrath
Courtesy of EE Times
(08/17/2009 7:17 H EST)

SAN FRANCISCO—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. closed the gap significantly with leader Vizio Inc. in the U.S. LCD-TV market in the second quarter, but Vizio retained market leadership with 21.7 percent market share, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp.

Samsung's share of U.S. LCD-TV unit shipments rose to 21.3 percent in the second quarter, up 3.5 points from 17.8 percent in the second quarter, iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) said. The gain represented the largest increase of any LCD-TV brand in the U.S. in the second quarter, the firm said.

"Samsung in the second quarter was very aggressive in introducing and marketing its LED-backlit LCD-TVs, allowing it to boost sales of these sets," said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst of television systems for iSuppli, in a statement.

Global penetration of the LED-backlight technology for LCD-TV panels will increase to 37 percent of all shipments in 2013, up from 3 percent in 2009, according to iSuppli's latest forecast. Patel said about 2.2 percent of LCD-TVs in the U.S. in the second quarter used LED backlights, up from zero during the same quarter a year earlier.

"In mature markets like the United States, while many consumers are moving up from their CRT or rear-projection televisions, an increasing number of LCD-TV purchases are replacements of first-generation flat-panel sets," Patel said. "In these cases, consumers are gravitating toward higher-specification televisions, such as those with LED backlights."

Sony was the third-ranked supplier of LCD-TVs in the U.S. in the second quarter, holding 11.9 percent of the market, according to iSuppli. Toshiba ranked fourth with a 7.9 percent share, according to the firm.

根據市場研究機構iSuppli的最新報告，韓國三星電子(Samsung Electronics)在09年第三季取代Vizio成為美國第一大液晶電視(LCD TV)品牌。

當季三星液晶電視美國市場出貨量為130萬台，取得16.8%的市佔率；同時Vizio的出貨量則為120萬台，市佔率15.7%。

三星上一次取得美國最大液晶電視品牌，是在08年第四季；隨後Vizio以功能齊全的低價產品進軍Wal-Mart等大型量販店，擄獲消費者的心。iSuppli表示，三星是在今年第二季透過推出先進的LED背光電視、以及高階機種的降價，恢復了少許動力。

而iSuppli電視系統首席分析師Riddhi Patel認為，三星引領了液晶電視市場採用LED背光技術潮流：「消費者喜愛LED背光液晶電視的原因，是因為它們的超薄外型；由於三星積極地降低這類產品的價格，使得LED背光電視對越來越多美國消費者來說是負擔得起的。」

目前LED背光機種在全美液晶電視出貨量中，佔有約3.7%的比例，該數字在第二季為2.1%；iSuppli並指出，目前美國是全球LED背光液晶電視銷售表現最佳的市場。 iSuppli的最新研究也顯示，大多數美國前五大液晶電視廠牌，都在第三季呈現出貨量與市佔率衰退的情況，較小的廠牌銷售表現反而進步；其主要原因是品牌大廠多在第三季將精力集中在發表新機種，並將新產品推向通路，導致銷售量減少。



(參考原文：Samsung regains lead in U.S. LCD-TV market，by Dylan McGrath)