IHS Sees TV Panel Units Declining 7% This Year, But Area Shipments Jumping

The industry’s migration to larger TV screens will result in a 7 percent increase in 2016 TV panel shipments in terms of area size even as TV panel unit shipments decline 7 percent, IHS Technology said in a report. “Falling prices are causing panel makers to focus on the most profitable products, including larger displays and those employing newer display technologies,” the research firm said Thursday. “From the panel maker’s perspective, area shipment is more important than unit shipments, so panel makers are accelerating the migration to larger TV panel sizes and higher resolutions.” Display manufacturers are targeting a 24 percent year-over-year shipment growth rate for 48-inch-and-larger panel sizes, which are expected to reach 93 million units in 2016, IHS said. Shipments of 4K LCD TV panels are expected to grow 73 percent in 2016, reaching 66 million units, it said.