The production volume and value of Taiwan’s LCD television sector are both expected to grow by more than 11 percent this quarter from last quarter, driven by new product launches, the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC, 資策會) forecast in a report on Thursday.
Shipments of LCD TVs are forecast to increase 11.89 percent to 9.22 million units this quarter from 8.25 million units last quarter, with the sector’s production value rising 11.95 percent to US$3.28 billion from US$2.93 billion during the same period, the MIC said.
Shipments of Taiwan-made LCD televisions contracted by 20.6 percent in the first quarter — which is a traditional off-peak season for the TV market — from the previous quarter, with production value also dropping 20.5 percent quarter-on-quarter, the MIC said.
Meanwhile, shipments of large-sized flat panels for LCD TVs and notebook computers are forecast to increase 10.4 percent from 52.75 million units in the first quarter, as the use of the panels in both of the devices continues to increase.
Shipments of small and medium-sized panels are projected to reach 425 million units this quarter, up 8.7 percent from 391 million last quarter, reflecting the rising popularity of smartphones and tablet computers in China, the market researcher said.
With shipments of high-priced large panels growing and the prices of small panels dropping, the blended average selling price for all panels this quarter is expected to remain flat from that seen in the first quarter, but total production value is forecast to increase 10.4 percent, the MIC said.
Last week, Innolux Corp (群創光電), the nation’s largest LCD panel maker, said supplies of TV panels would remain tight this quarter, with supply constraints on small and medium-sized panels for other uses likely to continue through to the fourth quarter.
“The shortage of small and medium-sized panels in the market is severe and is expected to last for the rest of year,” Innolux president Wang Jyh-chau (王志超) told investors on Thursday. “TV panel supply is also tight, as clients are still placing more orders in preparation for China’s new subsidy program for energy-efficient TV sets, which was originally set for June.
Additional reporting by Lisa Wang
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