Sony who are investing millions into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is witnessing record sales of their TV”s, the Company who is positioning their products as “The Best” 4K TV”s available today is confident that their TV division can return to profits.
According to IDC and Bloomberg Sony sales of TV”s are up 30% their biggest jump in four years as demand increased following major marketing investments in the Winter Olympics and the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil.
A survey of five retailers in Australia shows that sales of Sony TV”s have risen “significantly”. Helping the Japanese Company is the offer of a new PlayStation 4 Console with selected TV purchases.
Sony sales rose 30 percent to $2.15 billion, compared with $1.65 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Samsung generated the most sales in the quarter with about $9 billion, a 1 percent increase over the prior quarter.
Bloomberg reported that Sony Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai said last month the company”s struggling TV unit could make its first profit in more than a decade even if it misses sales forecasts by as much as 16 percent. Japan”s No. 1 TV maker unexpectedly forecast a 50 billion-yen net loss this year as slumping demand for its sets and video cameras was compounded by the costs of restructuring and exiting the personal-computer business.
“Globally, Sony has been successful in focusing on high-end TV models,” Junya Ayada, a Tokyo-based analyst at Daiwa Securities Group said “Sales in Europe have increased in the three months ended March due to improvements in operations.”
Global TV shipments in the first quarter rose less than 1 percent to 50.8 million units, according to the data. Samsung shipped about 12.2 million sets, LG 8.3 million and TCL 3.7 million.
Sony, which shipped 3.1 million units, has forecast sales of 16 million liquid-crystal display sets this fiscal year, though Hirai said the business can still make money if it sells only 13.5 million units, the same number as last year. Hirai has trimmed the TV product line-up to focus on so-called 4K ultra high definition sets.
Another big winner is Hisense who boosted sales 12 percent in the same period. The Company who is the only TV manufacturer in Australia to offer a true native Google Android TV Vs a Chromecast dongle is generating increased sales in Australia after the Company invested in extensive instore displays at retailers such as JB Hi Fi and Harvey Norman.
“One reason Chinese manufacturers have expanded sales is because of an increase in 4K TV sales in their domestic market,” Ayada said.
Globally the average selling price of a Sony TV in the quarter was $690.80, an 8 percent premium to the global average of $640, according to the data compiled by Bloomberg. In Australia Sony are primarily concentrating on selling premium TV”s
The average Samsung set was the most expensive at $739.70, with the cheapest average television price coming from TP Vision”s Philips TV range.
The TV sales data supplied by IDC did not list figures for Panasonic or Sharp.
