Samsung and LG Surpass 80% Shipment Share
Maintain Overwhelming Sales Lead, Dominate OLED Leadership
Although Chinese companies are intensifying their pursuit in the global TV market, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics still maintain an overwhelming advantage in the premium market. In the TV market typically classified as premium, priced above $2,500, Korean companies occupy about 80% of both shipment volume and sales, and continue steady growth based on their leadership in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology.
According to the UK market research firm Omdia on the 3rd, based on shipments in the fourth quarter of last year, Samsung Electronics held a 50.5% share and LG Electronics 30.6% in the premium TV market priced above $2,500. In contrast, Chinese brands TCL and Hisense accounted for only 1% and 0.5%, respectively. The share of Korean companies (81.1%) is overwhelming.
On an annual basis, the share of Korean companies in the premium TV market, which was about 64.4% in 2021, has continued to grow year by year: ▲70.2% in 2022 ▲78.3% in 2023 ▲80.1% in 2024. In particular, LG Electronics contributed to maintaining the dominant market power of Korean brands by increasing its shipment share in the premium TV market from 19.1% in 2023 to 31.1% in 2024, a 12 percentage point growth.
Looking at sales as well, the combined share of the two companies in the premium market above $2,500 exceeded 80% in the fourth quarter of last year. Samsung Electronics recorded 50.7%, and LG Electronics 30.2%. On an annual sales basis, the ranking was Samsung Electronics 49.6%, LG Electronics 30.2%, Sony 15.2%, TCL 1.6%, and Hisense 0.9%.
Even when expanding the scope to the TV market priced above $1,500, the trend is similar. Based on shipments in the fourth quarter of last year, Samsung Electronics held 51.4%, LG Electronics 22.2%, totaling 73.6%. TCL and Hisense accounted for 3.8% and 2.5%, respectively. Annually, Korean companies recorded a 74.7% share (Samsung Electronics 50.9%, LG Electronics 23.8%), while Chinese companies were limited to TCL 3.9% and Hisense 1.7%.
This is interpreted as Korean companies holding the leadership in OLED TVs, which are considered the representative premium TVs. In particular, LG Electronics held a 52.4% share of the global OLED TV market last year (based on shipments), marking its 12th consecutive year as number one.
At the 'Samsung First Look 2025' event, Samsung Electronics models are introducing the 2025 Neo QLED 8K. Photo by Samsung Electronics
Meanwhile, recently, the Hong Kong-based market research firm Counterpoint Research released survey results showing that Chinese companies such as TCL and Hisense are performing well in the premium market based on panel types, which has led some industry insiders to point out that such criteria may distort the data.
Unlike the usual practice of considering price as the criterion for premium, Counterpoint Research includes OLED, Mini LED, and even QD-LCD panels as premium, which can result in relatively low-priced products under $1,000 being classified as premium.
In fact, TCL and Hisense’s QD-LCD products in relatively small sizes such as 43, 50, and 55 inches are reportedly sold at Best Buy, a US electronics retailer, in the $200 to $400 range.
An industry official pointed out, "Classifying premium TVs based on panel types makes it difficult to intuitively understand product features and market positioning, and can distort market and consumer perceptions."
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