Futuresource Consulting has released its latest worldwide TV market report. The report states that shipments of 4K Ultra High Definition (4K UHD) sets grew by almost 160 percent in 2015, to a total of 32 million units, equivalent to 14 percent of all sets sold. Futuresource expects this number to rise to almost 140 million by 2020, in which case 4K UHD shipments will command 52% of the market. Despite this growth, total TV shipments fell by 2 percent during 2015.
“4K UHD and OLED are expected to grow strongly in the remainder of the decade,” said David Tett, market analyst at Futuresource. “These technologies will help to restore value in the worldwide TV market as average selling prices are expected to increase over the next few years.” OLED is forecast to account for 7 percent of shipments by 2020, compared to just 0.2 percent in 2015, as interest in the display technology increases.
The report indicates strong growth for Smart TVs in all markets, with shipments growing by 11 percent in 2015. Futuresource predicts that more than 75 percent of sets will feature smart connectivity by 2020. Another feature, curved screens, is still a focus for Samsung, but others have largely reduced their line-ups of curved sets.
Overall, Futuresource found that TV sales performance suffered during 2015 due to saturation of flat panel TVs in most markets, which was exacerbated by exchange rate and economic difficulties in some countries, most notably in Russia and Brazil. Europe saw the largest decline in percentage terms, falling by more than 15 percent, with most countries suffering significant falls.
However, Futuresource does not expect these declines to last. The firm expects worldwide shipments to grow by 2 percent in 2016, fuelled by emerging markets and recovery in others. “Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific represent opportunity for growth in the coming years with TV ownership currently being relatively low in many countries within these regions,” said Tett.
Other highlights of the report include predictions that HDR will feature in all 4K UHD sets shipped in Europe and North America by 2020. Futuresource also predicts that average retail prices will grow as consumers demand larger screens and sales of 4K UHD resolution sets increase.
The worldwide TV market report provides an updated outlook for the worldwide consumer TV market. It reviews key developments in the market until the end of 2015 and provides an outlook to 2020.
