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Plasma HDTV sales surged 31% in unit volume and 35% in dollar volume over Q1 2009, while in the same period, large screen LCD HDTV flat panel volume sales were flat and revenues fell 7%—according to TV industry market research firm Quixel Research.

Quixel’s principal Tamaryn Pratt states in a press release, “Unit sales of 42″ 720p plasma were up 40% quarter-to-quarter as consumers were looking for value in uncertain economic times,” adding “It also helped that all the models offered were from top brands so consumers felt comfortable making a competitively priced purchase backed up by a well known brand”.  Q2 saw the arrival of new 2010 plasma models from Panasonic, Samsung and LG.

When queried via email about  possible factors contributing to the recent sales surge, Bob Perry, Executive Vice President Panasonic Consumer Electronics responded:

“Consumers are choosing 42″ and 50″ plasma because of historic (low) price levels. History shows that consumers prefer larger displays, and generally will migrate to these larger displays as price points help them make them more attainable. In tough economic times (as well as times of conflict), consumers tend to continue to purchase the same quantities of televisions, although their specific choices change.  In this current economic environment, consumers are purchasing HDTV sets that are more price sensitive, but clearly continue to want large sets.”

Vizio Still No. 1 Shipping LCD TV Brand, Continues to Grow

Vizio maintained its lead in US market share of LCD TV in 2Q09 with 21.7% of the market, up from 21.4% in Q1. Samsung, Toshiba and Panasonic also showed increased shares, while Sony shipments dropped 2.9% during the same period, according to data supplied by TV industry market research firm iSuppli.

In iSuppi’s press release Riddi Patel, its principal analyst states  “U.S.-based Vizio continues to benefit from its combination of low-cost and full-featured sets, combined with its high-volume retail channels, including Wal-Mart”, adding “The company seems to have found the right balance between price and features that appeals to many consumers.”

“While Vizio Inc. maintained its leadership in the U.S. LCD-TV market in the second quarter,” the release continues, “No. 2 ranked Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. closed the gap significantly as buyers gravitated toward its LED-backlit sets.”

Samsung’s share of U.S. LCD-TV unit shipments rose to 21.3 percent in Q2, up 3.5 points from 17.8 percent in Q1. The gain represented the largest increase of any LCD-TV brand in the United States in the second quarter. With its strong second quarter rise, Samsung of South Korea cut Vizio’s lead to only 0.4 percentage points, down from 3.6 points in Q1. “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,”  Patel said.

“U.S. consumers increasingly are warming up to higher-specification LCD-TV models, including those using new LED-backlighting technology,” Patel added. “iSuppli estimates 2.2 percent of LCD-TVs shipped 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. In these cases, consumers are gravitating toward higher-specification televisions, such as those with LED backlights.”

Below are the Q1 and Q2 market share data and rankings.

US LCD TV market by shipment share, 2Q09
Rank     Brand         1Q09     2Q09
1     Vizio                21.4%     21.7%
2     Samsung         17.8%     21.3%
3     Sony               14.8%     11.9%
4     Toshiba             8.0%     8.3%
5     LG                    8.9%     7.9%
6     Panasonic         3.7%     6.0%
7     Sharp               8.6%     5.3%
Others                   16.8%     17.6%
Total                    100.0%     100.0%

-HDGuru® with Michael Fremer

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