The global television market is projected to decline for the second year in a row by the end of 2013, with shipments in virtually every quarter this year lower than the same time a year ago, according to a new report from IHS.
Worldwide TV shipments for the first three quarters this year amounted to 158-million units, down 4,4% from 165,2-million during the equivalent period in 2012. The fourth quarter is not likely to change this unyielding dynamic of deceleration, and total TV shipments at the close of 2013 will amount to a projected 226,8-million units.
The overall 2013 figure means that this year’s TV shipments will be down 4,8% from the 2012 volume of 238,3-million. It will also be the second straight year that global TV shipments shrink on an annual basis, on top of the 6,7% decline posted in 2012.
The total forecast includes liquid-crystal display (LCD) sets, plasma models, and old cathode-ray-tube TVs on their way out but still present in some quantities in the poorer parts of the world. The advanced technology known as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has minimal contribution to total figures, with only 1-million units included in fourth-quarter 2013 estimates during its sole period of inclusion.
Compared to this year and 2012, TV shipments had been on a healthy roll. During the peak year of 2011, for instance, the quantity of televisions shipped throughout the world reached 255,4-million, at least 7% higher than the projected 2013 quantity. And the year before that in 2010, shipments grew a stunning 11%.
Despite the sombre results this year, a gradual rise is expected beginning in 2014, which will then continue until at least the end of the forecast window in 2018. Even so, it won’t be until 2017 when the market regains its former size attained in 2011.
Samsung was the top brand for televisions in the second quarter of 2013, the latest time for which confirmed figures are available. With nearly 11-million units shipped, Samsung claimed a 21% share—more than one-fifth of the global TV market.
In second place was Samsung’s fellow South Korean rival LG, with 7,9-million units shipped or 16% market share. Sony of Japan was in third place, followed by TCL and Hisense, both from China, in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
The rest of the Top 10 included Toshiba, Skyworth, Sharp, Konka and Philips. Toshiba and Sharp hail from Japan, while Skyworth and Konka are based in China. Philips, the lone Western entity on the list, is based in the Netherlands.
Among regions, China accounted for the bulk of the TV market in the second quarter, shipping 11,6-million units, or 24%. North America followed with 8-million units to account for 16%, but its share of market declined during the period, echoing a similar downturn in Japan and Western Europe.
Meanwhile, both Latin America and the aggregate Middle East-Africa region grew their share of TV shipment volumes, taking 14% and 8% market share, respectively.
Worldwide shipments of LCD TVs sporting full high-definition specifications will reach 178-million units by 2018, up from 130-million last year. All LCD TVs will feature LED backlighting technology by 2016, and the market will increasingly emphasize larger sizes, such as 50-inch-and-above sets.
The advanced television type known as ultra-high-definition (UHD), with four times the resolution of regular 1080p sets, will continue to make inroads in the global market since models started shipping in the low thousands in the third quarter of 2012. By 2018, shipments of UHD televisions are expected to amount to approximately 24-million units, or 10% of the total LCD TV space.
China is leading the global UHD initiative, accounting for as much as 79% of shipments as of this year.