LCD TV Sales in Taiwan Down 10% in First 7 Months of This Year

Taipei, Sept. 14, 2011 (CENS)--After several years of rapid growths, market demand for LCD TVs in Taiwan, however, has turned sluggish this year, with overall sales (excluding Internet TVs) for the first seven months of the year declining about 10% from a year earlier to only some 600,000 units, according to local distributors.

Market observers pointed out that driven by larger-sized and LED-backlit models, LCD TV sales in the market had posted double-digit growths for some years. But, with market demand slackening this year, the growth reversed in May through July, causing overall sales in the past seven months of the year to drop.

In fact, LCD TVs have commanded a share of over 40% in Taiwan's TV market for the moment, with LED-backlit, 3D and Internet models increasingly accepted by local consumers to replace traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) and flat TVs.

Local brands optimistically forecast earlier the market to keep rising this year, for Taiwan is going to shut down analog broadcasting to turn to digital broadcasting starting next year. However, market demand isn't stimulated as significantly as expected, mainly because local TV channel and cable TV operators have yet to digitalize contents and services. Industry insiders admitted that the market will remain bearish until the end of this year or early next year.

Despite a flagging market this year, most local vendors have no intention to adjust downward their sales goals set earlier. For example, Tatung Consumer Products Taiwan Co., which sold nearly 80,000 LCD TVs in the past seven months of the year for a 20% growth from a year ago, stressed that it will bet on the year-end sales season to achieve its sales goal of between 160,000 and 180,000 units for the entire year.

Aiming for full-year sales of 110,000 units and 70,000 units, respectively, for this year, Sampo Corp. and Sanyo Denki Taiwan also said that they will do their best to attain the sales goals. Although posting a very flat growth in its LCD TV sales in the past seven months of this year, LG Electronics Taiwan stays confident of finishing the whole year with a 25% share of the market.

2011 Sales Goals Set by Major LCD TV Brands in Taiwan
Brand	Sales Volume
Sony	200,000 units
LG	200,000 units
Samsung	Over 20,000 units
Tatung	160,000 to 180,000 units
Sharp	20,000 units
Panasonic	Over 120,000 units
Sampo	110,000 units
Sanyo	60,000 to 70,000 units
Chimei	192,000 units

Source: each brand