March 18, 2006, 12:24AM Flat-panels revive TV makers Electronics sector rides high on popularity of new sets
By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/3732074.html TOKYO - Just five years ago, Japan's electronics makers were in a sorry state. Profits were sinking as less expensive Asian rivals grabbed market share and prices for everything from computer chips to DVD players dropped. These days, they've found a savior: the flat-panel TV. Big names such as Panasonic, Sharp and Sony are barely able to keep up with demand as millions of consumers around the world junk their bulky cathode-ray-tube sets for sleek and thin TVs that feature large, cinema-quality displays. And as the screens get bigger and bigger, so do the profits. The new sets helped Panasonic parent Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s profits jump 39 percent in the October-December quarter, while flat-panel sales helped drive Sharp's earnings up 26 percent during the same period. Sony Corp., which until recently lagged behind its TV rivals, posted a 17.5 percent improvement after its liquid-crystal displays sold briskly during the holidays. Now, it's forecasting a profit for the full fiscal year ending March 31, reversing a previous prediction for a loss. The switch in TV technology is an opportunity that only comes once in several decades, said Fumio Ohtsubo, Matsushita's incoming president. Matsushita is the world leader in plasma TVs, while Sony has surged from behind to become the world leader in the other major technology, LCD TVs, overtaking Sharp Corp., according to DisplaySearch, a unit of the NPD Group. "We have been a big success because we chose early on to focus on and invest in plasma display panels," Masaaki Fujita, director of Matsushita's plasma display panel TV business, said. This isn't the first time the TV has lifted Japan's fortunes. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Matsushita and Sony rose to global prominence largely through booming sales of their reliable, inexpensive televisions. ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
