It is reported that the global shipment of 4K flat-panel TVs has increased rapidly in the past few years, which will help promote the overall growth of the global flat-panel TV market. In 2017, 4K TVs accounted for more than one-third of the total sales of flat-panel TVs. US market research firm ABI Research estimates that 4K flat-panel TV shipments will exceed 102 million units in 2018, accounting for 44% of global flat-panel TV shipments.
The popularity of the flat-panel TV market in the global family has exceeded 85%, causing its growth expectations to slow down. However, the transition from high definition (HD) to 4K ultra high definition TVs is expected to be the next key factor in the development of the global flat panel TV market.
In addition to the growing 4K content on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, pay-TV service providers are also investing in 4K content. Russian pay-TV provider Tricolor TV recently launched a 4K movie channel, and US pay-TV operators Verizon and Frontier Communications are currently testing 4K video services.
Geographically, 4K flat-panel TV shipments in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 37% of global shipments in 2018. The Chinese market, which offers a variety of low-cost 4K models, is the main market for the Asia Pacific market. Currently, North America and Western Europe are the regions with the highest 4K TV penetration. The combined shipments of these two regions will account for about half of the global 4K flat-panel TV shipments in 2018.
Consumer demand for 4K flat-panel TVs is expected to boost global 4K flat-panel TV shipments to 194 million units in 2022, with an average compound annual growth rate of 17.3%.
