2017 Premium TV Market Structure due to the Different Prices of Premium TVs and Sony’s Joining in OLED TV Market

Some line-ups of Samsung Electronics QLED TVs including the Q7 and Q8 introduced at CES 2017 are starting to be unveiled and preordered on its official U.S website and Amazon. The products for preorder are 55, 65, and 75-inch flat TVs of Q7 line-up, and 55 and 65-inch curved TVs of Q8, the higher lineup than Q7. QN65Q7F 65-inch flat TV cost US$ 3,499.99 on Amazon, as of 16th, and QN65Q8C 65-inch curved TV was US$ 4,499.99. It was 20% more expensive than ‘SUHD TV’, the premium TV line-up launched in 2016, and it was intended to build premium TV’s own image by highlighting high price range and enhanced picture quality.

On the other hand, LG Electronics OLED TV prices keep on decreasing. OLED65C6 65-inch curved OLED TV was launched last year at US$ 3,197.00 on Amazon as of 16th, and that was 50% cheaper than US$ 6,000.00 on June, 2016. In addition, the lunch price of OLED65C7 65 inch-curved OLED TV to sell this year is set as US$ 4,000.00 on Amazon as of 15th, which was a 30% cheaper than 2016 and US$ 500.00 cheaper than Samsung’s QN65Q8C 65 inch curved TV. As LG Electronics are leading the OLED premium TV market, it is likely to pay more attention to popularization due to is low price.

<Price Comparison of 2017’ 65-inch Curved TV New Products, Source : Amazon.com>

Due to similar prices of OLED TV and QLED TV in the premium TV market, high-quality picture, brand image, consumer needs satisfaction are gaining importance. Color reproduction among high-quality picture factors has similar performance, whereas OLED TV still gain a competitive advantage in contrast range and response speed. Besides, Sony that has kept a strong brand power and status in the premium TV market showcased OLED TV with higher-quality picture upgraded by ‘Acoustic Surface’ technology that produces sound without speaker and ‘X1 extreme processor’ HDR chip, attracting a lot of attention at CES 2017. Its release date and price have not yet been announced, but it is expected to greatly influence the premium TV market.

There’s a keen interest on, how the 2017 premium TV market will change due to the different price strategies of premium TVs to be released and Sony’s joining in OLED TV.