Sharp expands sales of LCD, narrows gap with Samsung, LG

Japan-based Sharp Corp. saw its shipment of liquid crystal display panels double in the second quarter from a three-month period earlier, data showed Thursdays, narrowing its gap with South Korean rivals -- Samsung and LG.

According to the data compiled by industry tracker WitsView, Samsung Electronics Co. stood as the world's No. 1 player in global LCD panels for TVs in the second quarter, followed by LG Electronics Inc. and China-based TCL Corp.

Sharp shot up to become the fourth player over the cited period, moving up five notches from a quarter earlier. 

The Japanese firm shipped some 1.29 million units in the January-March period,

"This turnaround indicates that Foxconn's vertical integration of its panel, TV assembly and brand business operations has strengthened Sharp's position considerably," the researcher said.

"Samsung attempts to capture more of the high-end market segment this year with its QLED TVs, but consumers' interest in these models has been lukewarm," it added. (Yonhap)