LG Electronics sold around 1.5 million OLED TVs globally last year and is expected to sell 2 million this year. Sony is the second largest OLED TV manufacturer, according to a report by Digitimes.
OLED TVs sales to grow 50%
A total of 2 million OLED TVs were shipped globally last year. That number is expected to grow to 3 million in 2018, according to industry sources and Digitimes.
LG Electronics is the clear leader in the segment. Last year, LG Electronics sold an estimated 1.5 million OLED TVs, giving it a 75% share. It is expected to sell 2 million OLED TVs this year, with its share dropping to 66%.
Sony is a distant second. The Japanese company is expected to sell 500,000 OLED TVs in 2018, up from 200,000 units last year, while the remaining 500,000 will be divided between brands such as Panasonic, Philips, Grundig and Loewe as well as Chinese brands such as Hisense that will launch its first OLED TV this year.
- “In addition to shipping two million OLED panels to LG Electronics in 2018, LGD is also expected to ship 500,000 OLED panels to Sony and a certain amount to China's TV makers,” Digitimes reported.
LG Display – a separate company under the LG Corporation – will continue to produce the bulk of all OLED TV panels in 2018. The company sells its panels to a range of other manufacturers and will soon open its next-generation 10.5G OLED factory that will be capable of mass-producing larger panels with 8K resolution.
TVs based on OLED technology still make up a relatively small portion of the overall TV market, which runs at around 210-220 million units annually. However, the display technology continues to gain share in the lucrative premium segment and capacity will be expanded significantly over the coming years.
- Source: Digitimes