Shipments of LCD TVs from Taiwan-based manufacturers will drop by almost 30% quarter-on-quarter, down to 7.14 million units, during the first quarter of 2018, according to Digitimes Research. The new data reflects an anticipated seasonal dip, following a strong final quarter of 2017. Shipments are reported to have grown by more than 10% quarter-on-quarter to 9.97 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, while for the entire year, shipments actually dropped by 7.2%, down to 32.88 million units.
According to the new report, LCD TV shipments from Taiwan to Japanese clients will increase by 40%, mainly thanks to Foxconn’s increase in business with Japan’s Sharp, while shipments to China will increase marginally. Xiaomi will also apparently begin outsourcing more of its TV manufacturing business to Taiwan-based firms. The ratio of 4K LCD TVs coming out of Taiwan also achieved a new milestone, increasing to 30%, and is expected to rise further to 35.6% during 2018.
However, Taiwan’s LCD TV shipments to the US and Europe are expected to drop sharply during the first quarter of 2018 due to a lack of sales performance growth. The regions have also reportedly begun to do more business with non-Taiwan-based makers.
