OLED TVs are selling more than ever, but production issues may stunt growth
It’s been a good year for OLED TVs, with the fourth quarter in 2019 alone seeing 1.1 million OLED televisions sold worldwide – the first time the premium panel technology had reached a seven-figure number of units sold in one quarter.
We’re used to seeing spikes in sales over that period, as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales usually contribute to a lot of new purchases. The previous three quarters of 2019 each saw roughly 600,000 units sold.
It’s a long way from the rather humble 4,000 units that kicked off the technology in 2014, helped in no small part by the growing appetite for OLED TV panels among TV brands other than LG.
Slowly dropping prices, and a new 48-inch OLED panel size, could help to grow those numbers even higher in 2020 – but there are still obstacles to overcome before that happens.
Peak performance
While the numbers seem positive, we had largely expected an annual increase in OLED TVs sold, and the measure of success in 2020 will be how much that number can rise again.
Production issues continue at LG’s pre-fab factory in Puja, which has meant months of inoperative machinery unable to produce OLED displays – and the impact that will have in 2020 shipments is still unclear.
We still have a decent amount of time until the final quarter of 2020, of course, which will again be likely to drive most of the technology’s annual sales. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X set to launch in that period, too, we could see a surge in purchases for high-end televisions as gamers seek to upgrade to 4K TVs with HDR capabilities that can show off the consoles’ increased power and performance.
Via BusinessKorea
It’s been a good year for OLED TVs, with the fourth quarter in 2019 alone seeing 1.1 million OLED televisions sold worldwide – the first time the premium panel technology had reached a seven-figure number of units sold in one quarter. We’re used to seeing spikes in sales over that…
