The sale of large format 4K televisions accelerates its takeoff

China will dominate the sale of 4K and 8K televisions in 2020, according to a study by IHS Markit.

The fourth quarter of 2016 was exceptional for the sale of 4K UHD televisions worldwide according to a market study by IHS Markit. Sales experienced an “incredible acceleration” compared to previous quarters and much more so if we compare the figures with those of 2015.

IHS asegura que la venta de televisores por encima de las 40 pulgadas con resolución 4K supusieron el 56 por ciento de todas las ventas de gran tamaño en China, 53 por ciento en Japón, 43 por ciento en América del Norte y 43 por ciento en Europa occidental.

Para Paul Gray, analista principal de IHS Markit, está claro que vivimos un punto de inflexión en la venta de pantallas UHD de gran formato. Y es que si centramos la vista solo en el último trimestre las cifras alcanzarían el 56% en China, el 61% en Japón, el 52% en Europa Occidental y el 50% en Norteamérica.

Even so-called “secondary” markets are buying into UHD. Eastern Europe with 35 percent (compared to 31 percent accumulated in the first months of 2016), Asia Pacific, with 26 percent (21 percent), Latin America, with 29 percent (23 percent) and the MEA region, with 23 percent (18 percent) are good examples of this.

China will dominate sales of 8K televisions, as its consumers will be eager to renew their equipment. 65 inches will be the dominant size in 8K, driven by affordable prices in China. Although Japan is planning 8K broadcasts starting in 2020, in most regions, 8K content will remain scarce in the near future, IHS Markit highlights.

Paul Gray acknowledges that we are experiencing "an incredible acceleration in 4K television. There was a certain tailwind due to the pressure of the 32" LCD panels and therefore there was a concentration effect. However, it is clear that a tipping point has been reached where it will soon be unthinkable that large screen televisions do not have a 4K resolution."