Futuresource: 4K UHD TV Sales Skyrocketed 160% in 2015

18 Apr, 2016 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Overall television sales declined

With television manufacturers incorporating 4K Ultra HD resolution in new units, sales have responded — up 160% in 2015, according to new data from Futuresource Consulting. That percentage accounts for 32 million units sold, or 14% of all TVs sold. Worldwide Ultra HD TV sales are projected to reach 140 million units by 2020, by which time 4K UHD will represent 52% of the market. Interestingly, total TV shipments (including non-UHD) fell 2% during 2015.

Contributing to the increased demand for UHD is rollout by studios of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and related digital movies, in addition to increased access to 4K UHD streaming content on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

“4K UHD and OLED are expected to grow strongly in the remainder of the decade,” David Tett, market analyst at Futuresource, said in a statement. “These technologies will help to restore value in the worldwide TV market as average selling prices are expected to increase over the next few years.” OLED is forecast to account for 7% of shipments by 2020, compared with just 0.2% in 2015, as interest in this premium display technology increases.

Meanwhile, smart TVs continue to see strong growth in all markets, with shipments growing 11% in 2015 and more than 75% of units expected to feature Internet connectivity by 2020. Another feature, curved screens, is still a focus for Samsung but others have largely reduced their line-ups of curved sets.

Overall, TV sales performance suffered in 2015 due to saturation of flat-panel TV in most markets, exacerbated by exchange rate and economic difficulties in some countries, notably Russia and Brazil. Europe saw the largest decline in percentage terms, falling by more than 15%, with most countries suffering significant falls.

However, Futuresource does not expect these declines to continue this year, instead projecting worldwide shipments grow by 2% — fueled by emerging markets and recovery in others.

“Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific represent opportunity for growth in the coming years with TV ownership currently being relatively low in many countries within these regions,” Tett said.

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