TV shipments expected to rebound in 2010

Analysts believe global TV shipments will increase as much as 6% in 2010, with 218 million units expected to ship after a somewhat disappointing 2009.

This year, TV shipment numbers fell 1% — down to 205 million units — but a combination of cheaper flat panels and emerging consumer markets will help manufacturers cash in next year.  Despite a smaller number of TVs moved, consumers still spent $101 billion, a 10% drop compared to the $112 billion the industry earned in 2008.

Almost 70 percent of TVs shipped in 2009 were LCD TVs, with the remaining 30 percent shared by CRTs and pricey, larger-screen plasma TVs.

Since mid-2008, overall TV shipment numbers have declined as consumers transitioned away from aging CRT TVs — but LCD TV prices started to fall during Q3 2008 to help begin picking up the slack.

“China is a hot growth engine for the global flat-panel TV market as the transition from CRT (cathode ray tube) to LCD and plasma TVs continues to drive market growth,” said Hisakazu Torii, DisplaySearch VP of TV market research, in a statement.  “Government stimulus activity is having a positive effect on demand for flat panel TVs in both China and Japan, while several upcoming analog-to-digital broadcast changes in 2010 are likely to increase demand in Western Europe for digital TVs.”

DisplaySearch believes the LCD market will be the most important TV sector, with 170 million units expected to ship in 2010.