LCD TV panel prices rise 60% since spring
The boom in telecommuting and distance learning, fueled by the pandemic, has driven prices up not only for laptop and monitor panels but also for TV panels, as people strive to not only work or study in isolation but also have fun. Prices for 55-inch panels are up 60% since spring.
In November, according to the Nikkei Asian Review, the contract market for 15.6-inch LCD notebook panels rose 10% from October, up about 20% from the spring level. In the segment of television equipment, the sequential rise in prices in November was 8%, but in comparison with the spring, it reached 60%.
Panel makers tried to fund next-generation products, so the expansion of traditional LCD panel production was overlooked. As a result of a sharp increase in demand, they ceased to cope with market saturation, a deficit arose, prices went up. However, LG Display scrapped its original plan to discontinue LCD TV panels by the end of this year. Taiwanese panel makers reported a 21-22% YoY increase in revenue in November.
Experts expect that demand for LCD panels for PCs and TVs will remain strong in the first half of the coming year as many countries are forced to demand more time from their citizens to spend at home. The rise in prices for finished TVs has not yet fully compensated for the increase in manufacturers’ costs, therefore, it is not yet possible for end consumers to count on a decrease in the price level, although seasonal sales may take place.
