IHS Markit Revises up 8K Panel Shipment Estimate
Market researcher IHS Markit has raised its estimate of 8K LCD TV panel shipments for 2019 by 12.9 percent from its first quarter forecast of 347,000 units to 38,700 units.
IHS Markit said that it has revised up its forecast because Samsung Display is expected to significantly ramp up 8K LCD TV panel shipments. The Korean display giant is expected to ship 312,200 units this year, 19.5 percent more than originally expected, accounting for 83.6 percent of the world’s total shipments.
The increase in shipments from Samsung Display is attributable to Samsung Electronics' efforts to expand 8K TVs. Samsung Electronics introduced products of various sizes including a 55-inch 8K QELD TV presented at IFA 2019, Europe's largest consumer electronics show held in Berlin, Germany in September.
Skepticism about the 8K TV market is also easing. Apart from Samsung Display, Taiwanese display company AUO is expected to ship 6,700 8K LCD TV panels, more than three times larger than the previous forecast (21,700 units). LG Display is forecast to ship only 1,000 units, which are much fewer than the previous forecast of 26,000 units. However, LG Display is building its strategy with LG Electronics based on organic light emitting diode (OLED) 8K TVs, experts say.
A verbal war between Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics over 8K TV picture quality has contributed to the growth of the 8K TV market. In fact, Kim Hyun-suk, head of Samsung Electronics’ Consumer Electronics (CE) Business Division, said during IFA 2019 that LG Electronics' disparagement of the picture quality of Samsung's 8K TVs rather helped the 8K TV market grow. In addition, China's 8K TV price war is positive for the overall 8K TV market. Chinese companies including TCL, Skyworth, HiSense and Kokca took the wraps off many 8K TV models at IFA 2019.
Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter of last year, IHS Markit forecast that global 8K TV sales will hit 308,900 units this year, but revised down the forecast to 215,000 units in the first quarter and to 166,700 units in the second quarter, the latest.