Global LCD shipments drop, but Samsung's still ruling TV-land

Global LCD shipments drop
Sony loses market share again

Market research firm, WitsView, has reported a decline in the global shipments of LCD TVs over the last quarter, but Samsung is still top of TV manufacturers' pile in terms of straight numbers.

According to the research shipments have dropped by over 6% in the last quarter.

That might not sound too bad, but considering the first quarter of the year was 24% down itself on the final quarter of 2014, the trend isn't looking too hot.

Shipments totalled just over 48 million units, down from the 51 million of the previous quarter. By comparison 2014 finished on just over 67 million LCD TVs being shipped in its final quarter.

That was though compared to the peak buying period at the end of the year, with the shrinking market to be expected in the dry period between TV announcements at CES in January and the actual release of manufacturers' new ranges.

WitsView reckons the market will though bounce back as we push on through the second half of this year, as projected shipments are expected to rise by around 19%.

Samsung staying strong

Samsung, however, has maintained its position at the top of the global shipments table despite the dropping shipments, and has in fact strengthened its position. It's increased its overall market share from 20.4% up to 21.8%.

Behind it are LG, TCL, Hisense and Sony.

Those figures won't make pleasing viewing for Sony in particular, which has seen a drop in its overall market share for the second successive quarter.

At the end of 2014 it was the third biggest TV manufacturer in the world, but the growth of Chinese brands, TCL and Hisense, have pushed them both above the Japanese electronics giant.

via DigiTimes