Brazilian football craze boosts LCD TV demand

Market news | June 2, 2014

By eeNews Europe

Displays & Interfaces

Over the same period, plasma TV shipments grew more than 200 percent, as retailers stocked up ahead of anticipated TV demand for the World Cup tournament in Brazil this year.

Total TV shipments to Brazil reached 3.3 million units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2014, up from just 2.1 million in Q1 2013.

“While not all regions typically see a strong boost in demand related to major sporting events, the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament is driving higher levels of demand ahead of the event in Brazil,” notes Hisakazu Torii, vice president of smart applications for NPD DisplaySearch.

“The main demand drivers are CRT replacement, broader HD broadcasting availability, and a strong push by manufacturers to maximize the promotional opportunity.”

LCD TV shipment growth in Brazil during Q1 2014 was a dramatic improvement over sluggish growth the previous year; in fact, growth was more than twice as strong as in any other single country. Growth rates also improved in Japan, India, and the United States.

Fig. 1: LCD TV Year-over-Year Shipment Growth by Region. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report

“The Chinese market has grown more slowly recently – especially because growth in the early part of last year was exceptionally strong, due to the looming end of the government-sponsored subsidy program,” Torii said. “The mix of screen sizes also shifted larger recently.”

The 50-inch-and-larger screen sizes category in China increased to 20 percent in Q1 2014, which is more than twice as much as a year ago. Canada and the United States both also had increases in this segment, increasing to 32 percent and 25 percent, respectively. (The United States had the greatest mix of 60-inch and larger screens, reaching 9 percent of total units shipped in Q1.