"OLED TV High Growth Trend Continues..."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] A forecast has emerged that the high growth trend of OLED TVs will continue.

On the 29th, Kyungtak Noh, a researcher at Eugene Investment & Securities, stated, "Last month, global LCD TV shipments increased by 16.8% year-on-year to 14.62 million units, while OLED TV shipments rose by 224.7% to 434,000 units." He explained that this was due to the base effect from the demand contraction in major global markets such as the US and Europe, which began to be fully reflected from April last year. In particular, significant growth was seen in companies with a high share in the high-end market, including South Korea's Samsung Electronics (59%), LG Electronics (96%), Japan's Sony (158%), and Panasonic (54%).

However, due to worsening supply of components such as DDI (Display Drive IC) and Display Glass, LCD TV shipments fell below the average level of 15.87 million units seen in 2018?2019. Shipments concentrated on OLED TVs, which have relatively higher profitability. With the increase in OLED panel supply this year, LG Electronics' OLED TV sales proportion is expected to rise significantly, which is anticipated to increase its market share in the premium TV segment.

There is an analysis forecasting strong demand for premium TVs and continuous price increases for panels. In April, LCD panel prices continued to rise (65 UHD $254 → $274, 43 UHD $138 → $143), and the expanding price increase compared to the previous month is acting as a burden for set manufacturers. This is attributed to the prolonged demand-supply imbalance caused by reduced domestic LCD production and shortages of key components such as Display Driver ICs and Display Glass. The panel price increase trend is expected to continue throughout the first half of the year.

Researcher Noh said, "Due to the limited supply situation of panels, panel inventory remains tight," and added, "With steady set demand continuing, including inventory accumulation demand in distribution channels, profitability improvements are expected for panel manufacturers such as LG Display."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.