Shipments of LCD TVs by Taiwan-based makers are expected to fall below five million units in the first quarter of 2020, down nearly 44% on quarter and over 20% on year, affected by the coronavirus outbreak and seasonality, Digitimes Research estimates.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, Taiwan's LCD TV shipments came to 8.48 million units, up 14.7% sequentially but down 12.6% from a year earlier, Digitimes Research figures show. The sequential gains were driven by peak-season effects.
The ratio of shipments to Europe increased significantly in the fourth quarter of 2019 thanks to efforts by TPV Technology and Foxconn Electronics to ramp up shipments to the area. While the ratio of those shipped to North America remained flat, shipments to Asian markets have continued to decline since the second quarter of 2019.
Meanwhile, shipments of over 50-inch TVs for the first time accounted for over 50% of Taiwan's TV shipments in the fourth quarter, while the ratio of 32-inch models showed a significant decline.
TPV and Foxconn remained the top-two vendors in the fourth quarter but with their combined share falling to 63.3% from the 67.5% a quarter earlier, as fellow companies Innolux and Amtran Technology, which took third and fourth places respectively, both posted higher shipment growth in the quarter.