First quarter 2009 numbers are in and it appears LCD TV shipment numbers rebounded nicely from a dismal fourth quarter of 2008 as consumers went after sales and low-cost vendors. In a report from DisplaySearch, overall LCD TV sales rose 23% year over year – in large part to aggressive price cuts and the liquidation of Circuit City. Along the way, premium brands such as Sony and Samsung gave way to inexpensive brands such as Vizio which rose to the top of the shipments list – rising from 13% unit share to 19% unit share during the quarter.
Premium brands fared better when consumers looked for advanced features or for larger displays – 40 inches or higher. Here are other interesting tidbits from the report:
- While North American sales rose year over year, they actually fell 18% from Q4 sales because of “seasonal effects”
- 32 inch LCD TVs were a bright spot – rising 41% year over year
- 40+ inch LCD TVs saw no growth from Q1 of 2008
- Plasma TV shipments fell 50% quarter over quarter and 5% year over year
Here are the top brands in the North American LCD TVs:
- Vizio at 18.9 %
- Samsung at 17.4 %
- Sony at 14.5 %
- Funai at 8.5 %
- Sharp at 7.9 %
Top brands in the North American Plasma TV space:
- Panasonic at 38.7 %
- Samsung at 27 %
- LGE at 11.9 %
- Vizio at 7.2 %
- Snayo at 7.1 %
Overall leaders in North American flat panel unit shares are:
- Samsung at 18.2 %
- Vizio at 17.9 %
- Sony at 13.2 %
- LGE at 8.1 %
- Funai at 7.8%
