Sales of TVs worldwide fell in the first quarter of 2009 to 43.3 million units, down 25 percent from the last quarter of 2008.
But, according to market research company Displaysearch, there continues to be strong demand for LCD TVs in China and in North America.
Prices fell in the first quarter because the companies wanted to maintain consumer demand, with year to year shipments growing 27 percent to 26.7 million units. That can be contrasted with plasma TV shipments, which only increased one percent year on year, while revenues fell by 26 percent year on year.
The economic meltdown means that demand stayed strong for relatively modest screen sizes, where prices aren’t so expensive. 32-inch screens are the most sought after sizes, with 38 percent of unit shipments, while TV screen sizes above 40 percent fell half a percent.
Displaysearch released the following information showing how the different TV technologies fared – the numbers are in millions.
| Tech | Units Q109 | Share | Q on Q | Y on Y |
| LCD TV | 26,749 | 61.8% | -20% | 27% |
| PDP TV | 2,792 | 6.4% | -37% | 1% |
| OLED TV | 1 | 0% | 17% | -45% |
| CRT TV | 13,690 | 31.6% | -30% | -38% |
| RPTV | 66 | 0.2% | -42% | -33% |
| Totals | 43,298 | 100% | -25% | -6% |
The top vendor in Q1 2009 was Samsung, followed by LGE, Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic. Sharp and Panasonic market shares fell by 12 percent and 22 percent, year on year.
