DisplaySearch Reports Stronger Than Expected Plasma Panel Growth as Q3’08 Shipments Rise 37% Y/Y to 4.2M Unit

Plasma panel makers continue to report strong growth with Q3’08 plasma panel shipments rising 18% Q/Q and 37% Y/Y to nearly 4.2M units, the second highest quarterly shipment total ever and 6% higher than expected, according to the latest DisplaySearch Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, Plasma and LCD TV Panel Shipment Module.

Demand continues to be strong for plasma TVs worldwide due to attractive price points and increasing availability of high-definition content and the 2008 shipment target of 15.5M units is on target.

Additional notable developments from the Q3’08 shipment results include

The 1080p share of plasma panel unit shipments remained over 20%, after strong growth in Q2’08, rising to a record 856K units in Q3’08. Panasonic remained the dominant supplier of 1080p PDP plasma panels, accounting for 70% of units shipped. Samsung was the #2 1080p plasma panel supplier at 15% unit share.

50” shipments continued to account for a growing share of plasma panel shipments, rising from 26% to a record 29% of units. However, 42” continues to be the most popular screen size at 49% of units, though this is the first quarter where 42” shipment share was less than 50%.

32” continues to be an important category of growth for plasma panels, rising 20% Q/Q to 486K units and accounting for nearly 12% of shipments. All of the growth came from ED resolution panels which were popular in developing markets due to low pricing.

For detailed plasma module shipments, plasma fab activity, plasma supply/demand, plasma TV shipments by brand and region, and rolling 16-quarter plasma shipment, cost and pricing forecasts, please see the latest Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, Plasma and LCD TV Panel Shipment Module. For information on any DisplaySearch report, contact Carl Holec for additional information at 1.512.687.1505, or info@displaysearch.com or contact your regional DisplaySearch office in China, Europe, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.

About DisplaySearch

DisplaySearch, an NPD Group Company, has a core team of 59 employees located in Europe, North America and Asia who produce a valued suite of FPD-related market forecasts, technology assessments, surveys, studies and analyses. Visit the DisplaySearch blog to read about how our top analysts are interpreting up-to-the-minute issues that impact the display industry, and join us in this discussion about technology and the flat panel industry. The company also organizes influential events worldwide. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, DisplaySearch has regional operations in Chicago, Houston, Kyoto, London, San Diego, San Jose, Seoul, Shenzhen, Taipei and Tokyo, and the company is on the web at http://www.displaysearch.com/.