TV LCD Panel Prices Rising
South Korean display manufacturers, which decided early this year to reduce their LCD business, are slowing down their withdrawal from the market as the TV LCD panel price is rising.
According to market research firm WitsView, the average price of 55-inch 4K LCD panels rose from US$103 to US$155 from January to this month and is expected to move around US$150 to US$160 until the second half of 2021. This year, the average price of 65-inch 4K LCD panels also rose from US$168 to US$207 and those of 32-inch, 43-inch and 50-inch rose as well.
The upward trend is because the global TV sales increased after the outbreak of COVID-19 and Chinese suppliers, which increased their market share to over 50 percent this year, are no longer selling their products at dumping prices.
Previously, South Korean display manufacturers gradually reduced their LCD TV panel business to concentrate on next-generation displays such as OLED and QD-OLED. For example, LG Display decided to focus on OLED TV panels and LCD panels for use in monitors, tablet PCs and laptops. Samsung Display announced in March that it would stop producing LCD panels in 2021 to concentrate on QD. The company sold its LCD panel manufacturing plant in China in August and carried out downsizing in South Korea.
According to market research firm Omdia, the two companies’ combined share in the global LCD TV panel market in terms of shipments fell from 31.2 percent to 16.5 percent from 2018 to the second quarter of this year. Specifically, that of LG Display fell from 17.4 percent to 7.3 percent and that of Samsung Display fell from 13.8 percent to 9.2 percent.