Sales of Curved-Screen TVs to Double in 2016

Worldwide shipments of curved-screen TV monitors totaled 900,000 in 2015 and are expected to double to total shipments of 1.8 million in 2016. The pricey devices have become very popular at Internet cafes in China and for high-end game playing.

The leading global brand of curved-screen monitors is Samsung, which claimed a market share of 70% in 2015, according to analysts at research firm TrendForce. As if to underscore that point, a quick check of Best Buy’s website showed 17 curved-screen monitors, of which 15 were made by Samsung and the other two by LG.

The lowest price shown on the Best Buy site is $2,000 for a 55-inch 4K UltraHD 2160p Samsung, discounted $300 from the regular price. The highest price shown was $5,500 for a 78-inch 3D 4K UltraHD 2160p model from Samsung, discounted $501 from the regular price.
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According to TrendForce analyst Anita Wang:

Sales of curved-screen monitors have been exceptionally strong in China recently because their releases coincided with a boom in the country’s Internet cafés. These venues are driving the demand for large-size monitors with novel designs, so curved-screen products fit right into this market.

The top Chinese brand is HKC, which had a 14% worldwide share in the fourth quarter of 2015, a distant second to Samsung’s 68% fourth-quarter share. Other curved-screen monitor makers and their fourth-quarter shares: Dell, 6%; AOC/Phillips, 4%; LG, 4%; Acer, 3%; and HP, 1%.

TrendForce also noted that industrial design is a critical factor for successfully selling these expensive monitors. The firm notes especially the Acer 34-inch curved-screen monitor as a top choice among gamers and Samsung’s design expertise as a driver of the company’s success in North America.