AUSTIN – Global TV shipments showed a spark of recovery in the third quarter, amid an easing global economic recession, says DisplaySearch.

Total unit volume increased on a year-over-year basis for the first time since the same quarter last year, rising 1% to 54.9 million units.

LCD TV shipments worldwide increased 38% year-over-year to reach a record 37.5 million units.

Government stimulus programs in China and Japan, as well as continued high levels of price erosion, contributed to excellent unit growth in LCD TVs, with double digit year-over-year growth in every region except Eastern Europe.

Based on strong third quarter shipments, DisplaySearch now expects 2009 total LCD TV shipments could reach 140 million units worldwide.

Revenue growth, however, continues to be elusive. Total TV revenues were down for the fourth straight quarter, falling 10% to $26.2 billion, compared to the same quarter last year.

For the LCD TVs segment, the spread between unit growth and revenue growth was even more dramatic, as worldwide LCD TV revenues grew just 1% year-over-year.

Average selling prices for LCD TVs fell 27% compared to the third quarter in 2008. This decline comes despite the fact that LCD panel prices, a key cost driver of LCD TVs, have been rising for most of 2009.

Samsung remained the global brand share leader in terms of revenues for the fifteenth straight quarter, but lost about a point of share, to 21.9%, as sequential growth lagged that of many competitors.

LGE remained in the number two spot for the second straight quarter, after surpassing Sony in the first quarter, also seeing a slight decline in share to 12.9%.

Sony remained number three worldwide on a revenue basis, but fell below 10% share and was one of the two brands experiencing a sequential revenue decline during a seasonally strong quarter.

In North America, Samsung remained the leading overall TV brand on a unit and revenue basis, but Funai overtook Vizio on a unit basis to rise to number two. On a total revenue basis, Panasonic climbed two spots to number two, overtaking Sony and Vizio, on strengthening LCD and plasma revenues.

The top six LCD TV brands on a unit basis are all Chinese and collectively accounted for nearly 80% of all units shipped to the region in the second quarter; they are also strong exporters. Each of the top 10 brands in China enjoyed strong double-digit sequential unit growth in LCD TVs, ranging from 18% to 91%.

Skyworth was the number one brand on a unit and revenue basis, but each of the top three brands were within five percentage points of each other on a unit basis.

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