Leader in Global TV Market
Based on QLED and 8K TVs, Samsung Electronics Co. maintained the number one spot in the global TV market in the second quarter of this year.
The South Korean electronics giant recorded a 31.5 percent share of the global TV market in terms of sales in the second quarter, according to market research firm IHS Markit on Aug. 21. It is the highest figure for a single quarter in nearly six years since the first quarter of 2013.
The figure represented a 2.1 percentage point from that of the previous quarter. As a result, Samsung Electronics doubled the gap in market share with LG Electronics Inc., which ranked second with 16.5 percent, and widened the gap further with Sony, which came in third with 8.8 percent.
China’s TCL Corp. and Hisense Co. placed fourth and fifth with a market share of 6.3 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively, down 1.2 percentage points and 0.3 percentage point from the previous quarter.
Samsung Electronics’ market share also exceeded 30 percent in the first half of this year as a whole. It is the highest level since 2013, the company said.
Samsung Electronics also recorded a 19.4 percent market share in terms of shipments in the second quarter, outpacing LG Electronics with 12.4 percent, TCL with 9.4 percent, Hisense with 7.3 percent and Xiaomi with 5.5 percent.
Market experts attribute the result to Samsung Electronics’ premium model strategy based on its QLED lineups. The company accounted for 53.9 percent in the segment of 75-inch or larger screen TVs, and 53.8 percent of the market for US$2,500 or higher TVs in the second quarter.
Industry analysts said Samsung Electronics’ QLED brand marketing strategy has worked. In fact, sales of QLED televisions came to 1.20 million units in the second quarter, up 280,000 units, doubling the gap with OLED TVs led by LG Electronics and Sony with 610,000 units.
Samsung Electronics released its 8K TV models in September last year before its competitors, including LG Electronics, in order to strengthen its premium image. Concerns were voiced at that time that it was too early to introduce the models as 4K Ultra HD content had just solidified its position in the market.
However, Samsung Electronics has overcome a lack of infrastructure by using “quantum processor 8K” based on its own artificial intelligence (AI) upscaling technology. In addition, the company has set up an “8K alliance” with such companies as Panasonic and Hisense, and is taking the lead in the establishment of the ecosystem. Recently, South Korean content developer Louis Pictures Co. and Astrodesign Inc., which manufactures equipment, including camera, have joined the alliance, taking it one step closer to 8K popularization.