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Samsung Electronics’ Neo QLED television helped the company reach the No. 1 spot in the global television market for the 16th year in a row. Two models hold up a sign reading that Samsung has held the No. 1 spot in the global TV market. (provided by Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics has retained the No. 1 spot in the global television market for the 16th year in a row, thanks to its premium QLED televisions.

According to figures published Sunday by market research firm Omdia, Samsung Electronics Co. had the largest share of the global television market both in terms of sales value (29.5%) and in terms of units sold (19.8%). The South Korean company attributed its performance to an increase in sales of premium televisions, and especially its QLED models, standing for quantum dot light-emitting diodes.

When Samsung first released QLED TVs in 2017, it only sold around 800,000 units in the product line. But sales rose above 5.32 million in 2019 and 9.43 million in 2021, bringing cumulative sales to around 26 million over the past five years (2017-2021).

Backed by strong sales of its QLED line, Samsung Electronics dominated premium television trends last year, controlling 42.1% of the US$2,500+ television market (in terms of sales value) and 44.9% of the extra-large television market, which includes televisions with a diameter of at least 80 inches.

In a related story, LG Electronics saw sales of its OLED televisions — which are manufactured with panels of organic light-emitting diodes — double year over year in 2021. Last year, LG Electronics had an 18.5% share of the global television market (in terms of sales value), the highest level on record.

According to Omdia, LG shipped just over 4 million televisions in its premium OLED line last year, approximately twice the number shipped in 2020.

By Sun Dam-eun, staff reporter

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