When a flat market means big sales

Contributed by Sean Fujimoto

Market trends for Australian TVs are set to continue into 2008 with further growth expected in the flat panel market - Plasma and LCD TVs.

Only three years ago, demand for TVs in Australia was dominated by CRT (tube) TVs, which held an 86 per cent share of the market.* By August 2007, 63 per cent of all TVs sold in Australia were either Plasma or LCD with 37 inch and above screen sizes being the majority at 51 per cent .

Australia is now one of the fastest growing markets in the world for big-screen TVs.

Panasonic is currently a market leader in Plasma TV with 39 per cent of sales and Plasma now accounts for a 62 per cent market share in the 37-inch and above screen size category. In the last six months, there has been further consumer demand for larger screen sizes, with sales of 50-inch Plasmas now representing almost a third of the Plasma market.

With the introduction of High Definition Broadcasting and new technologies like Blu-ray, sales of Full High Definition (FHD) televisions are also growing dramatically in Australia.

Panasonic's latest VIERA Plasma TVs optimise the FHD experience for consumers with the best viewing for today's Blu-ray titles as well as offering technology to make the most of the viewing experience - from dramatic movies to the fast action of sporting events.

The new line-up continues the VIERA heritage of offering the best in picture, sound, design and connectivity. Whether you are viewing the rich, warm hues of a sunset, or the speed and agility of a winger on the rugby field, the clarity, colour and detail convey the beauty and excitement of every scene.

Panasonic's range of big-screen VIERA Plasma TVs offer 1920x1080p resolution FHD panels - with 42-inch, 50-inch, 58-inch and 65-inch screen sizes all featuring the company's renowned black box technology for vibrant colour, deep and rich blacks, fast-moving images and outstanding contrast.

VIERA's full HD panel displays beautiful images without needing to perform pixel conversion for the 1080p video signals processed by the video circuitry. This allows the viewer to enjoy images with stunning detail from both HD broadcasts and Blu-ray sources.

For further information, visit www.panasonic.com.au and www.whychooseplasma.com.au or call the Panasonic Customer Centre on 132 600.

*According to market research group GfK's monthly report of August 2004. All other sales statistics in this article are from the report of August 2007.

Mr Sean Fujimoto has worked for leading consumer electronics company Panasonic for 27 years, holding a number of senior management and marketing positions in Japan, Canada and the US. Most recently, he was director, consumer electronic company, Panasonic North America, where he headed the network business group. In April of this year, Mr Fujimoto was named deputy managing director of Panasonic Australia.