Sigmaintell said that shipments of TVs in China fell 14% in Q1 to 11.69 million units. The market was hit by high inventories and high set costs combined with weaker demand. The top six Chinese brands took 70% of the market and shipped 8.16 million units, down 25% on last year. Set makers that sell over the internet dropped 25% from Q4, but were still up 36% from last year, when Q1 was weak.
The firm said that Philips and Sharp both grew in the quarter, so the share of foreign brands increase of 30%.
Sigmaintell said that brands should concentrate on big sets that are ultra-thin and with narrow borders or use quantum dots. Brands should also reduce the cost of low end sets to make them more accessible to consumers.
