Sony who is desperate to cut their massive losses has commenced talks with arch rival LG to make LCD panels for their Bravia LCD TV range, the talks come a month after the Company signed a deal with Sharp to make large screen Bravia panels.
According to the Korean Times LG the world’s second-largest maker of LCDs started negotiating with Sony earlier this year on providing the latter with LCD panels for 32-, 37- and 42-inch televisions, according to their sources.
Currently Sharp, Samsung, LG and Panasonic manufacture the bulk of their flat panel TV’s while also manufacturing for the likes of Sony.
In the US, Sony has seen their Bravia LCD brand slide as consumers desert the once popular brand for models from Samsung who now have 25% of the US LCD TV market compared to Sony’s 16%
In Australia, Sony has resorted to giving away PS3 consoles and Blu-ray players in an effort to prop up sales, yet despite these giveaways the Company has not been able to pull away from Samsung who last year pipped Sony in flat panel TV sales. This year the two Companies have been level pegging with both Companies taking 6 weeks each in the first 12 weeks of the year according to GFK data.
Also beating Sony on selected weeks last year was Panasonic who are tipped to be a key player this year as they roll out new plasma and LCD TV models.
Sony who has admitted that their Bravia LCD TV range has globally “never made a profit” has been buying 60 per cent of its television panels from S-LCD Corporation which is its joint venture with arch rival Samsung Electronics. Also supplying the Company for the remaining models is Taiwanese Company AU Optronics.
