SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — Global shipments of 4K Ultra HD LCD TVs grew nearly 400 percent year over year to reach 4.7 million units worldwide in Q1, according to the research by IHS.
Growth for the rest of the TV market, however, was not as robust in Q1. Overall TV shipments of LCD, plasma, OLED and CRT fell 2 percent year over year, while LCD TV shipments alone rose just less than 3 percent. The disparity in growth has to do with the significant reduction in both plasma and CRT shipments compared with a year ago, IHS said.
Based on revenue, Samsung Electronics was the top brand shipping 4K TVs in Q1, accounting for more than 32 percent of worldwide 4K sales, which is down slightly since Q4 2014. Even so, the strong seasonal shift to China meant that Chinese brands gained share during the quarter, owing to their relatively high mix of 4K TVs.
Collectively, 4K TV accounted for 16 percent of Chinese brands’ TV shipments in Q1. By comparison, 4K TV accounted for 11 percent of Samsung’s TV shipments. Fellow South Korean brand LG Electronics was the second-largest 4K TV brand in Q1, with a revenue share of 15 percent, followed by Hisense, Sony and Skyworth.
On a quarterly basis, Ultra HD volume was basically flat in Q1 compared with a seasonally strong Q4 2014, with especially strong demand in China during the Chinese New Year holiday season, according to IHS.4K TV shipments to China increased by 244 percent year over year to more than 2.6 million units in Q1 2015.
“4K TV shipments in China account for over half of global demand and set a new high-water mark in the world’s largest 4K market,” said Paul Gagnon, TV research director for IHS.
