TORONTO – Estimates for the end of 2007 television sales in Canada show that flat panel plasma and LCD televisions will account for 61% of the over 3.2 million unit TV market in Canada, according to the Consumer Electronics Marketers of Canada.
"Price erosion on all digital technologies will further enhance the adoption of the newer Flat Panel HDTV compatible sets, fueling a big part of the growth in the market," says the organization’s annual Consumer Electronics Markets Trends and Forecast booklet released this month.
"The options by screen size will be the greatest in the 37” to 65”+ as many technologies are converging here; LCD Flat Panel, Plasma, Micro Display Rear Projection and hints of newer technologies on the horizon will all fight for a stake in this market," says the release.
CEMC says that 2.1 million units will be sold in 2007 that accept an HD signal. "When looking at it from a total household perspective, at the end 2006, the number of units in Canadian homes that can accept an HD signal is at 4.04 million, approximately 33% household penetration," says the report.
And as viewing habits change with new technologies, consumers are embracing any number of recent developments – such as home theatre systems, which saw a 5.1% increase in shipments in 2006. "The industry forecasts continued growth within this category for at least the next two years," says the release.
And on the telephone side, the Canadian market had a record year in 2006. The landline phone categories have now experienced four consecutive years of double-digit growth and with that, over the past year, there has been a dramatic shift in categories.
Stand-alone telephone answering machines declined by 21% while cordless phones with integrated answering machines grew by 22% in 2006, says the report. As retail pricing continues to fall, cordless phones continue to grow slightly with just over four million units shipped in 2006.
Canadian consumers are getting more value than ever before with today’s cordless telephones. Almost 75% of all phones now retail for under $99. The fastest growing frequency was 5.8 GHz, more than doubling in units and ended the year at 49% of the market. 5.8 GHz is expected to dominate in 2007. Key growth drivers in cordless phones include lower pricing as well as the shift to multi-handset bundles. In terms of handsets, cordless phones in Canada have doubled
over the past 6 years.
Traditional landline phones are facing increased competition in 2007, the report acknowledged, such as current and new converging solutions like cellular phones, voice over internet (VoIP) and WiFi.
For the whole report, click here.
