International. The global TV market grew by 2.9 percent in 2018, reaching 221 million units, due to an increase in sales in the first half of the year, as many consumers upgraded their TVs to watch the World Cup. That's the conclusion of the most recent IHS Markit report on the subject.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, and for the first time, more than half of shipments were ultra high definition (UHD) TVs and screen sizes also increased.
"The average size of new TV screens continues to grow by at least one inch per year. Western Europe and Latin America, in particular, surpass this benchmark in 2018. With LCD panel prices falling, consumers are clearly more concerned with resizing than spending less money. Even in Japan, where consumers have resisted buying large TVs, the average screen size increased year after year," said Paul Gray, research director at IHS Markit.
UHD TV growth led by larger screens
UHD TV shipments reached 99 million units, driven by larger screen sizes. China led the global market with 30.1 million TVs shipped in 2018, followed by North America with 24.7 million. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of TVs in Western Europe shipped with UHD resolution in the fourth quarter of 2018, most of any global region.
Only 18,600 8K TVs were launched globally in 2018. "The launch of an 8K channel by Japan's broadcasting corporation, NHK, was a major milestone last year, leading to an acceleration in 8K TV shipments in Japan during the fourth quarter of 2018," Gray said.
Smart TVs continue to rise
Smart TVs that support UHD through streaming services continued to increase in volume shipped in 2018. More than three-quarters of the TVs shipped in the fourth quarter of 2018 were smart TVs. In North America, more than 85 percent of all TVs were smart TVs, which is 10 percentage points more than the previous year.
OLED TV becomes more affordable
Led by record shipments to Japan and Western Europe, just under 1 million (900,000) OLED TVs shipped in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 20 percent from a year earlier. Thanks to increased competition, 55-inch large-screen OLED TVs reach new levels of accessibility in Western Europe. Meanwhile, OLED TV shipments to North America fell 26 percent, year-over-year, due in part to aggressive price declines on large LCD TVs.
