South Korean TV makers were the sole winners in the global TV market where demand has been sapped by the coronavirus pandemic.

Global TV shipments totaled 43.29 million units in the January-March period, down 16.4 percent from a year earlier, according to market research firm Omdia, formerly IHS Markit.

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics together sold 16.78 million units, a 2.6 percent increase year on year, while their rivals saw sales tumble in double digits.

TCL, Hisense and other Chinese players reported an average 14.4 percent drop in sales at 15.13 million. Sales of Sony, Sharp and Japanese manufacturers plunged 26.2 percent to 4.42 million.

Korean makers reclaimed their No. 1 spot in terms of shipment volume after losing the place to Chinese rivals last year. Their combined market share in the first quarter rose to 38.8 percent from 31.6 percent a year earlier.

Samsung Electronics saw its share jump to 24.1 percent from 18.8 percent, cementing its position as the world’s largest TV maker. No. 2 LG Electronics also broadened its share to 14.6 percent from 12.8 percent.

The combined share of Chinese makers edged up 0.9 percentage point to 35.0 percent, while that of Japanese firms slipped 1.4 percentage points to 10.2 percent.

By panel type, shipments of LCD TVs dipped 16.6 percent on year to 42.66 million units, while OLED TVs gained 2.5 percent to 620,000 units.

By Kim Gyu-sik and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]