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Samsung raises flat-panel sales forecast

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's largest television maker, said sales of flat-panel TVs would increase more than 40 percent to 21 million sets this year on increased demand for bigger screens and better picture quality.

Shipments of liquid-crystal-display (LCD) TVs will increase to 18 million this year and plasma models will rise to 3 million, Samsung said in a statement yesterday, citing Park Jong-woo, head of the company's digital media business.

Samsung sold 13 million LCD TVs last year, the Suwon, South Korea-based firm said, without providing figures for plasma TV sales.

Samsung follows LG Electronics Inc, the world's third-largest TV maker in boosting targets for flat-panel TV shipments for this year as the two manufacturers focus on producing sets measuring at least 40 inches diagonally with full high-definition screens.

LG Electronics on Monday forecast its flat-panel TV sales would almost double this year to 17 million sets with shipments of LCD TVs increasing to 14 million and plasma TV sets rising to 3 million.

Samsung projects global LCD TV sales to rise 30 percent this year, less than the 58 percent growth last year, it said in the statement yesterday.

The company also predicts that total global flat-panel TV shipments would reach 108 million units this year.

Global LCD TV shipments will rise 33 percent to 94.7 million this year, while plasma TVs will increase 26 percent to 13.1 million, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co estimates.

Flat-screen models measuring 40 inches to 47 inches accounted for almost a third of global TV revenue in the third quarter, Austin, Texas-based researcher DisplaySearch forecast.
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