Samsung and Sharp have both managed to buck downward trends in flat-panel TV sales thanks a surge in demand in the US. Samsung, the world’s leading TV manufacturer revealed to Reuters that its TV sales reached a record 5.7 million units sold in November. Meanwhile, Sharp says it expects to reach sales of over 1 million large-screen TVs in the year to March 31, in the 60-inches or above category.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, American consumers spent an additional $7.4 billion compared to the same weekend last year. And apparently, a large chunk of this was spent on TVs. As a result, Samsung’s sales grew 14 percent above its five million units sold in October. The company says it expects to meet its annual sales target of 45 million flat-panel sales world-wide.
Sharp has been having great success in the over-size flat-panel segment where it expects to have sold over a million 60-plus inch flat panels in the US over its financial year. Despite a strong reliance on the shrinking Japanese flat-panel market, Sharp believes that the large screen segment will triple this year and the company is aiming to get as large a slice of that pie as they can to offset weaker demand elsewhere.
