Shipments of large-area TFT-LCD panels fell 2% YoY in the first half of 2015, says IHS. The fall was due to lower IT demand and worldwide currency issues, which led to higher import prices in most regions. Large-area shipments reached 340 million units.
Tablet PC display shipments were down 17% YoY, notebook displays down 6% and PC monitor displays down 8%. In more optimistic news, TV panel shipments rose 11%. TV panel demand was kept high by “aggressive” procurement, said IHS’s Yoonsung Chung. Actual TV sell-in in the first half of the year is still lower than expected, due to frozen demand caused by the above currency issues.
Prices for TV panels were high in the first six months of the year, causing TV brands to suffer. IT panel pricing followed market demand. “With the lower-than-expected TV sell-in, TV makers are expected to have higher inventories. This will result in a decrease in TV panel demand, which will weigh on TV panel prices in the second half of 2015”, said Chung.
In terms of area, large-area TFT-LCD shipments rose 8% YoY, to 77 million m². TV panels represented 77% of area shipments, but only 39% of unit shipments.
