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| This captured image highlights the advanced specifications of Samsung Electronics' new QLED TV, Tuesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics claimed a solid lead in the global TV market, while its chief cross-town rival LG Electronics was continuing its lead in the OLED TV segment, according to market research data, Tuesday.
The Korean TV duo's continued impressive performances helped Korea recapture the top position in the global TV market. Analysis by market researcher Omdia showed the TV manufacturers shipped 62.86 million TVs worldwide as of the end of the third quarter of this year, a quarterly record, with North America taking 16.4 million, followed by Western Europe and Japan.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung was the top shipper with a share of 23.6 percent during the period, followed by LG with 11.6 percent and TCL with 10.9 percent. When combined, the share of Korean TV brands for the three-month period ended Sept. 30 this year was 35.3 percent, with Chinese TV brands absorbing 33.8 percent global TV demand.
By comparison, the Samsung Electronics-led QLED TV camp saw their combined QLED TV shipments more than double for the given period as 2.76 million QLED TVs had been shipped with Samsung alone sending 2.33 million.
The LG Electronics-led OLED camp also saw a significant increase in terms of shipments, shipping 930,000 OLED TVs during the July-September period, up 40 percent year-on-year, the data showed. Out of the total OLED TV shipments, LG shipped 500,000 OLED TVs.
When it comes to TV technology, Samsung is pushing "Q," while LG is moving forward with "O" in a way to demonstrate their best TVs. Given Samsung's decades-long lead in the global TV market, QLED ― basically an LCD TV using quantum dot LED lighting technology ― is Samsung's choice. LG Electronics is heavily betting on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV technology as OLEDs are brighter than LEDs and don't require a bulky backlight.
OLED is a fundamentally different technology from conventional LCDs, and QLED is a variation of an LED LCD adding a quantum dot film to the LCD "sandwich." But Samsung is seeing to improve contrast ratio and viewing using thinner film technology. LG is on track to cooperate with more TV manufacturers such as Sony and Panasonic for a greater share in the growing OLED TV market.
The release came after the two Korean tech companies were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as the virus resulted in shelter-in-place orders in countries around the world and a global recession. But with progress in the development of possible COVID-19 vaccines amid the eased uncertainties surrounding the U.S. presidential election, expectations are rising that the global TV demand will improve from the first quarter of next year at the earliest possible date.
