Will OLED take over LCD? High-end TVs are unstoppable

The OLED TV group, led by LG Electronics, is increasing its share in the global TV market, BusinessKorea reported. Chinese TV manufacturers are focusing on increasing sales through cheap liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, but the OLED TV group is driving sales in the high-end TV market.

　　Japan's Sony ranked third in the TV market after Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics in 2018. Sony's TV sales were $11.69 billion in 2018, followed by China's Hisense at $6.88 billion and TCL at $6.58 billion, IHS Markit said.

　　On the other hand, TCL and Hisense dwarf Sony in terms of sales. Last year, Sony sold 11.6 million TVs, Hisense sold 15.94 million, and TCL sold 17.72 million, far more than Sony. Sony's TV sales have been steadily declining since 2013, when it sold 13.87 million units. Despite this, Sony's TV sales revenue increased by 58% from 2013 due to its focus on OLED TVs.

　　As the LCD TV market matures and oversupply occurs, Sony is focusing on the high-end TV market with OLED TV models. TV market watchers say Sony is making a comeback in the TV market with its strategy of focusing on OLED TV models. Last year, Sony's average selling price (ASP) was $1,000, surpassing TCL's $372 and Hisense's $432.

　　Currently, the OLED TV Group consists of 15 TV manufacturers, including LG Electronics and Sony. Many of these companies are increasing their market share in terms of sales. LG Electronics managed to increase its market share from 13.59% in 2016 to 16.43% last year. Sony also increased its market share from 8.52% to 10.13% during the same period. AOC/TP Vision's market share rose from 2.84% to 3.74%, and Panasonic from 2.05% to 3.28%.

　　Meanwhile, LG Electronics accounted for 62.2% of the total OLED camp market share, followed by Sony (18.9%), Panasonic (7.7%), AOC/TP Vision (5.7%) and Skyworth (2.4%). OLED TV sales grew to 723,700 units in 2016, 1,592,100 units in 2017 and 2,514,200 units in 2018.

　　"As competition in the LCD TV market becomes increasingly fierce, Chinese TV makers are turning their attention to OLED TVs," said a TV industry observer.