Mulling Withdrawal from LCD Market
LCD TV panel prices are going down. Samsung Display and LG Display are racking their brains over when to withdraw from the market.
According to market research firms, the average prices of 32-inch and 43-inch LCD TV panels fell US$1 each in the second half of this month. The average price of 32-inch panels, US$87, fell for the first time in 14 months, although it is still more than 200 percent of the price for the same period of the previous year, US$38.
“The price is estimated to reach US$68 at the end of this year and the prices of larger panels are likely to follow the same trend,” one of the firms commented, adding, “The market demand growth was led by the U.S. market after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the U.S. market growth is slowing down these days, leading to a decline in LCD panel demand.”
Samsung Display and LG Display are watching the situation closely. Last year, they decided to withdraw from the LCD market and then retracted the decision with LCD panel prices rising. Their concerns lie in the fact that more LCD panel production may hinder their concentration on future display technologies such as OLED and QD.