Quixel Reports Increased Sales in Big Screens

Consumers purchased more 50-inch plasma TVs than any other large screen category in the second quarter of 2006, according to data from Quixel Research’s “Plasma TV Market Review” reported in TWICE Magazine.

“On average, price points for 50-inch plasma TVs fell at almost double the rate of all other plasma TV screen sizes,” said Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel Research’s principal. The average sale price for a 50-inch to 59-inch plasma TV fell from $5,118 in the second quarter 2005 to $3,218 in the second quarter 2006. Falling prices across the plasma TV genre are credited with the 17 percent overall volume increase from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2006 and the 78 percent year-to-year volume increase from the second quarter of 2005 to second quarter 2006.

The report found the plasma TV category’s unit share grew 40 percent over first quarter 2006 sales. In the 50-inch to 59-inch category, unit share grew to reach 35 percent in the second quarter 2006, up from 30 percent in the first quarter.

The plasma TV category as a whole experienced a 37 percent increase year-to-year and saw a 10 percent increase from the first quarter of 2006 at $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion in the second quarter of 2006.

The report found the plasma TV segment represented 32 percent of the $5 billion Advanced TV market in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2006. The firm projects sales will reach close to $9 billion for the plasma TV category alone by 2009.