International. Global demand for LCD and plasma TVs could suffer a slight reduction during 2011, according to the research site DisplaySearch, as the total volume of sales is expected to remain stable and trending downward until the end of the year.
That means total unit sales would reach 248 million, divided into 206 million LCD units and 17 million plasma units. The reduction of the projection focuses on the economic crises that have occurred throughout the year.
The sale of flat-screen TVs, which do not include CRTs, will increase this year by 6% and will improve by up to 9% in 2012, motivated by the eagerness of manufacturers to deliver solutions to emerging markets and to defeat the CRT business once and for all.
LCDs will sell around 206 million units in 2011, only 14 million more than in 2010, when experts initially forecast total sales of 211 million units, which is why DisplaySearch lowered its market forecast.
For its part, plasma technology slowed its growth in the second quarter of 2011, with a fall of 6% compared to the same period of the previous year and now double-digit declines are expected in the coming quarters.
Finally, the OledTv, which would be launched at the end of 2012 to fight in the 40" category, is only expected to capture 2.5% of that market, due to the high prices and limited availability.
"Emerging markets continue to show good growth, but it is not strong enough to counter weakening demand in developed markets, and as a result, we have lowered our forecasts for the LCD unit and plasma TVs," said Paul Gagnon, North American TV Research Director for DisplaySearch.
