LCD TV Shipments to Increase 22% YoY to 171 M. Units in 2010: DisplaySearch

Taipei, Jan. 7, 2010 (CENS)--Global TV shipments in the third quarter of 2009 were up year-on-year (YoY) on a unit basis for the first time in a year, and global TV revenues are expected to rise YoY in the first quarter of 2010-the first time in six quarters, according to global display-market research leader DisplaySearch.

The market-research firm said that total TV shipments would rise from 205 million units in 2009 to 218 million units in 2010, a 6% increase following 2009's 1% shipment decline. Key drivers of this growth are demand recovery in developed TV markets like North America, Japan and Western Europe, as well as accelerating demand from emerging markets for flat panel TVs.

After a cautious outlook at the start of 2009, global demand for LCD TVs has held up astonishingly well amid the global recession. DisplaySearch pointed out that it has upgraded its 2009 LCD TV forecast to 140.5 million units, based on surging demand in China, as well as improving outlook for LCD TVs in Western Europe and North America from stiff price declines. In fact, nearly all regions received a demand outlook upgrade, although overall LCD TV revenues are only expected to rise 1% in 2009 amid pricing pressure.

The 2010 LCD TV forecast has been upgraded to 171 million units, which would be a 22% increase over 2009 levels, DisplaySearch said. The strong demand in 2009 has come mostly from smaller screen sizes (less than 40-inch) while prices are near or below US$500. But DisplaySearch said it now expects larger screen sizes to resume share growth in 2010 and beyond as economic conditions continue to improve.

Advanced technologies like LED backlights and three-dimension (3D) are expected to provide a further enhancer for LCD TV growth, particularly in higher-price products where the premiums are more acceptable. LED backlight LCD TVs in particular are poised for explosive growth in 2010 as nearly every major TV brand will introduce a wide variety of models and sizes with aggressive targets for growth.

DisplaySearch said that it is also currently tracking shipments of high frame rate LCD TVs. Higher frame rates are important to manufacturers and retailers who seek to mitigate the commoditization of LCD TVs with high performance features and future technologies like LED and 3D. The 100/120 Hz frame rate models would account for 26% of LCD TV revenues worldwide in 2009, the research firm said, while 200/240 Hz would take about 5% of revenues. By 2013, 100/120 Hz would account for 31% of LCD TV revenues, while 200/240 Hz nearly 20%, DisplaySearch forecasted.