However, growth for the rest of the TV market was not as robust in Q1. Overall TV shipments, including LCD, plasma, OLED, and CRT, fell 2 percent year-on-year, while LCD TV shipments alone rose almost 3 percent. The disparity in growth has to do with the significant reduction in both plasma and CRT shipments compared to a year ago.
The report notes that the slowdown in overall growth has not seriously affected the 4K TV segment, which continues to benefit from falling price premiums, expanded selection, and growing content availability. 4K TV shipments to China increased by 244 percent year-on-year to more than 2.6 million units in Q1.
Availability of 4K TVs is primarily limited to screen sizes larger than 40-inch, where the benefit can be most clearly observed, and also in regions where consumers are more willing to spend a premium to upgrade. Overall, 9 percent of all TV shipments in Q1 were 4K TVs.
Based on revenue, Samsung Electronics was the top brand shipping 4K TVs in Q1, accounting for more than 32 percent of worldwide 4K TV sales, which are down slightly since Q4 2014. Fellow South Korean brand LG Electronics was the second-largest 4K TV brand in Q1, with a revenue share of 15 percent, followed by Hisense, Sony, and Skyworth.
