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 MAY 2008 W3 ALERTHear That Distant Rumble? That's the Sound of a Rapidly Approaching WAR for Global Domination of the TV Biz
Japanese Manufacturers Launch War by Announcing Their Flat Panel Volume Projections <JCN-TOKYO><May 14, 2008>Jiji Press in Japan is reporting that several major Japanese TV manufacturers are releasing forecasts for a dramatic increase in the number of flat panel TV units they intend to ship in their newly launched fiscal year.
With the global flat panel TV market expected to top 100 million units, TV manufacturers are vying for the lion’s share of the business. Sony Corp. expects their LCD TV business to increase fully 60% to more than 17 million units in the coming fiscal year.
Rival Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has said it expects to ship more than 11 million units, with sales including both LCD and plasma models. As a key sponsor of the upcoming Olympics, Matsushita is hoping for a major boost in sales as a result of this extra exposure.
Sharp Corp., which recently announced a change of strategy (see story "Sharp Shift in Sharp's Strategy")by deciding to sell both finished TV goods, as well as separate LCD panels, is targeting at least 10 million units in the coming year.
Sony plans to focus their growth on emerging global markets for a significant amount of their anticipated increase. Also, Sony intends to introduce inexpensive TV models in the U.S. to attack the mass market and fuel growth.
However, the manufacturers face an unpredictable reality with the U.S. market already in a significant slowdown. Also, other manufacturers are planning to attack the flat panel business like Samsung Electronics Co. and Vizio, Inc., who has a strong position in the low price mass market Sony is planning to enter.
Pricing, which has already seen dramatic declines, are sure to suffer significant downward pressures as all of these players fight for market domination. |
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