Samsung has a lot to celebrate lately. Last week, the company announced a major milestone in HDTV apps (over five million downloads). This week, they are making headlines as the top overall seller (year to date) of flat panel HDTVs in the U.S., with leadership in several categories, including plasma TV.
According to new numbers from The NPD Group, about 41.3 percent of all plasma HDTVs sold in the U.S. in the first four months of 2011 were Samsung plasma TVs. That makes the manufacturer the top-selling brand in the U.S plasma TV market. In terms of revenue, the percentace is even higher (45.2%). Not only does this give Samsung the top title, but it is also an improvement over the company's numbers from 2010. Since this time last year, Samsung's plasma sales are up a total of 2.8 percent.
How did they manage to snag the top spot from plasma stalwart Panasonic? Although the Japanese manufacturer is not publically stating any production delays due to the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year, a high level source inside the company told our editor Chris Boylan that supply of several models in the company's 2011 plasma lineup remains tight. This production shortfall is expected to ease up soon. Once this happens, we should expect to see increased promotions from the Japanese consumer giant and a corresponding uptick in sales.
But for Samsung, those increased plasma sales figures help to boost the overall brand's market penetration, with Samsung snagging a total of 24.9 percent of the total flat-panel TV market, and 34.7 percent market share in revenue: both leadership positions. The aforementioned apps and internet streaming features are also driving consumers to the brand, giving Samsung a 48.1 percent market share of Smart TV sales (networked TVs), and 51.1 percent of the 3D TV market.
"The Samsung brand represents smart technology, stylish design and breakthrough picture quality, which is why we have recently moved to top in the plasma market and maintained our leadership across other TV categories," said John Revie, Samsung's senior VP of Home. "Our leadership shows that we're giving consumers the home entertainment experience they desire."
Samsung recently announced its largest range of plasma TVs. In 2011, consumers can expect to see 19 models across eight different product lines.
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