Global TV shipments set for second consecutive bad year

Global TV shipments look set to continue to slide in the fourth quarter following a poor performance in the three months to September, according to research by IHS.

According to the researchers, TV shipments for the full year are expected to fall by 5% to 226.7 million units, following a 7% decline in 2012.

The latest figures mark deterioration in a market that IHS had previously expected to decline by only 2% this year.  Plasma screens will be badly hit, suffering a 27% decline, while shipments of CRT units will decline by 40%, and the rear projection market will almost disappear completely. Shipments of LCD TVs will see a decline of 1%, according to IHS.

Overall shipments declined by 7% in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2012, according to the research.

IHS said the decline is due in part to the poor performance of the global economy and the maturity of the TV market in advanced regions. However, overall shipments are also falling in emerging markets as consumers fail to replace CRT TVs with more expensive LCD screens.

The researchers predict a return to marginal growth of 1% in the global TV market next year, driven by 5% growth in LCD sales.