NPD DisplaySearch announced that global LCD TV shipments increased 4% (Y/Y) in the first quarter of 2013 to 44.8 million units, led by strong growth in China.

For more information visit: www.displaysearch.com

Unedited press release follows:

China Leads Growth in LCD TV Shipments in Q1’13, According to NPD DisplaySearch

Worldwide growth in LCD TV shipments not strong enough to offset declines in CRT and plasma TV, as demand challenges remain in developed regions.

Santa Clara, California, June 13, 2013 — Global LCD TV shipments grew 4% Y/Y in Q1’13 to 44.8 million sets, led by strong growth in China, according to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report. The improved growth is largely the result of timing of the Chinese New Year; in 2013 the holiday fell in February, rather than in January, so TV shipments were skewed more into the first quarter, resulting in a strong 28% Y/Y increase in China.

“Excluding China, worldwide LCD TV growth was actually down almost 4% from to the previous year, demonstrating how important China has become to the global TV industry,” said Paul Gagnon, Director of Global TV Research for NPD DisplaySearch.

The growth of LCD TV shipments worldwide has not been strong enough to offset the decline in plasma and CRT TV shipments, particularly in emerging markets. Overall CRT TV shipments fell 57% in Q1’13. While this decline in shipments has accelerated significantly during the last few quarters, LCD TV prices are still too high to be competitive with similar CRT TVs for Asia Pacific, Latin America, and other emerging regions. Plasma TV demand has declined as well, with all brands outside of China reporting decreased sales volume, as the category slowly winds down.

Table 1: Q1’13 Worldwide TV Shipments by Technology (000s)

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report
As Samsung Continues to Lead, TCL Becomes the First Chinese Brand to Reach Top Three

Samsung remained the top global flat-panel TV brand, on both a unit and revenue basis, and its global revenue share remained stable at about 28%. Samsung was the top-ranked manufacturer for both LCD and plasma TVs. LGE remained in the second-ranked position, but the company improved its revenue share to 16.6% of flat panel TVs, with revenue up 4% Y/Y.

TCL was the first Chinese TV brand to break into the top three on a revenue and unit basis, after entering the top five during Q4’12. This rise is the result both of the increased share that China has gained in the global market and of TCL’s strong share within China.

Although Sharp and Sony rounded out the top five brands on a revenue basis, all major Japanese brands lost market share compared to the previous year. Sony’s global flat-panel TV revenue share fell most sharply, from 9.1% a year ago, to 5.1% in Q1’13.

Table 2: Q1’13 Worldwide Flat Panel TV Brand Rankings by Revenue Share

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report

NPD DisplaySearch TV market intelligence, including panel and TV shipments, TV shipments by region/country, brand, size, resolution, frame rate and backlight type for nearly 60 brands, rolling 16-quarter forecasts, TV cost/price forecasts and design wins can be found in its Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report. For more information on this report, please contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mail contact@displaysearch.com or contact your regional NPD DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.

About NPD DisplaySearch
NPD DisplaySearch, part of The NPD Group, provides global market research and consulting specializing in the display supply chain, including trend information, forecasts and analyses developed by a global team of experienced analysts with extensive industry knowledge. NPD DisplaySearch supply chain expertise complements sell-through information from The NPD Group, thereby providing a true end-to-end view of the display supply chain from materials and components to shipments of electronic devices with displays to sales of major consumer and commercial channels. For more information, visit us at http://www.displaysearch.com/. Read our blog at http://www.displaysearchblog.com/ and follow us on Twitter at @DisplaySearch.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com/ and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter at @npdtech and @npdgroup.