Global sales of flatscreen TVs set to boom

Expected to double by 2012

22 February 2008 9:55 GMT / By Katie Scott

A Japanese industry group is predicting that demand for flatscreen TVs will hit 180 million units by 2012.

The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association (JEITA) says that the boom will be driven by strong sales in China and the United States.

It added that demand for LCD TVs is likely to reach 155 million units in 5 years, which is up from the 74.8 million sold in 2007.

Demand for plasma TVs is expected to total 25 million units in 2012, compared with the 11.4 million sold last year, Reuters reports.

The report took in 51 nations, but JEITA says that it can be taken to reflect worldwide trends as all of the major markets for televisions have been included.

At the moment, Reuters says that South Korea's Samsung Electronics and Sony lead the LCD TV market, while Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial controls one-third of the plasma TV market.