Vizio Inc, the No. 2 liquid-crystal-display TV maker in the US, has applied for a listing on the NASDAQ Stock Market, a major shareholder said.
Vizio, based in Irvine, California, may sell shares in an initial public offering as early as the first half of this year, said Scottie Chiu (邱裕平), spokesman for Taipei-based Amtran Technology Co Ltd (瑞軒科技), which he says owns about 23 percent of Vizio.
A schedule for the sale has not been decided and AmTRAN has no plan to sell its own shares, Chiu said.
TOP SPOT
Vizio took top spot in the US LCD market in the first quarter of last year, before ceding its place to Samsung Electronics Co in the third quarter, according to researcher iSuppli Corp.
Vizio, which broadcast a 60-second TV commercial featuring singer Beyonce Knowles during this year’s Super Bowl, expects a 30 percent increase in revenue this year from an expected US$2.5 billion last year, founder and chief executive officer William Wang (王蔚) said in a Dec. 17 interview.
UNDERWRITER
Wang didn’t answer calls or immediately return voicemail messages left at his Irvine office.
An underwriter has been chosen, Chiu said yesterday, while declining to provide details.
Vizio had 15.7 percent of the US LCD TV market in the third quarter, behind Samsung with 16.8 percent and ahead of LG Electronics Inc, according to a Nov. 16 iSuppli statement. It led the market with 20.5 percent in the prior quarter.
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