LCD-TV sales defy seasonal slowdown

LCD-TV sales in the first quarter have actually risen in the first quarter of 2004 compared to the fourth quarter of 2003, defying the seasonal sales slowdown that televisions typically suffer at the start of each year.

In the first quarter, total worldwide shipments of TV sets totalled 38.5 million units, 12 percent lower than in the previous quarter, according to iSuppli/Stanford Resources. This is the perennial pattern in the television market, with sales peaking during the fourth quarter holiday season, and then cooling markedly during the start of the following year.

Slowing sales of CRT, plasma and projection televisions all contributed to the decline. However, LCD-TV shipments in the first quarter of 2004 grew to 1.6 million units, up 31 percent from 1.3 million in the fourth quarter. LCD-TV revenue reached $2.7 billion, rising 27 percent compared to the prior quarter.

iSuppli/Stanford Resources expects demand for LCD TVs to accelerate dramatically in 2004 and beyond due to the start of full-scale production of sets measuring 30-inches or more at new production facilities.