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But global shipments of plasma displays experienced their first sequential decline in the first quarter, falling 11 percent from a record-setting fourth quarter of 2005 to 2.3 million units, DisplaySearch said in its quarterly PDP report.
On a brighter note, prices fell only 1 percent amid tight supplies and strong demand for larger-size panels.
DisplaySearch said it expects demand to rebound in the second quarter amid new product launches. It maintained its yearly forecast for global panel shipments--11 million.
LG posted the fastest shipment growth rate, at 9 percent, from the quarter ended in December, taking a 31 percent market share, compared with the 25.6 percent reported in the previous quarter.
Matsushita, which is the world´s largest consumer electronics maker and is known for its Panasonic brand, fell to the second spot, while Samsung SDI ceded its second place and fell to the third. Both companies had about 24 percent market share, according to a separate statement released by LG.
Plasma displays and liquid crystal displays, or LCDs, comprise two major types of flat-screen TVs currently on the market. Demand for flat screens is expanding rapidly as prices come down, encouraging more consumers to trade in their bulky tube TVs for flat models.
"We will keep our spot as the No. 1 plasma panel maker this year and become the largest plasma TV maker in 2007," said Yoon Sang-han, president and CEO of LG Electronics Digital Display.
LG Electronics in April reported a better-than-expected doubling of its quarterly net profit, powered by its flat-screen operations.
LG said it posted a 22 percent rise in sales of plasma modules in the quarter. The company has been aggressively boosting its plasma display production capacity to take the top spot among plasma TV makers.