IHS Markit: 8K TV shipments to approach 2m units by 2020

The “next wave” of resolution transition will kick off towards the end of this year when major global TV brands launch 8K sets, according to IHS Markit.

The research firm estimated that the 8K TV market will grow from less than 20,000 units shipped in 2018 to shipments of more than 430,000 in 2019, approaching 2 million units by 2020.

IHS said that all of this growth will be centred on 60-inch and larger screen sizes, with 65-inch TVs accounting for more than half of the volume.

“Growth in the TV market typically is the result of more attractive retail prices for large-screen sizes and the continued commoditisation of 4K resolution, driving TV replacements and upgrades,” said Paul Gagnon, research and analysis executive director, IHS Markit.

“However, this growth through price compression has a negative effect on profits, so TV brands are actively looking for more growth from advanced TV models to improve earnings.”

Overall, IHS said that of the 226 million TVs expected to ship in 2019, more than half will be ultra-high-definition (UHD) models – the majority of which will be 4K.