Competitive Strategies Case Study

Digital TV Battle: LCD vs Plasma

OR

Abstract:
There was a change in the global TV industry due to the growing demand for the flat TV sets. Buyers had a number of choices in deciding which flat panel TV they were going to buy. The LCDs were best suited for a maximum of 37 inches TV screens. But there was debate about the suitability of LCD and Plasma technologies for the larger screens. For a long time Plasma technology dominated the large TV section but now the LCD TV makers like Sony and Samsung were challenging Plasma TV makers like Matsushita and LG. While Sony and Samsung had been betting with their 70inch LCD from 2007 onwards, Matsushita was fighting back by planning to launch its new 103 inch Plasma TV by the end of 2006. The debate was that whether LCD TV makers would be able to dethrone their Plasma TV competitors in the giant TV market.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the global digital TV market and its trend
• To analyse the strategic initiatives taken by both LCD and Plasma Manufacturers
• To analyse the consumer behavior in the digital TV market
• To discuss about the emerging technologies in the TV market.

Keywords : LCD (liquid crystal display); Plasma; Consumer electronics; Sony; Samsung; Matsushita; LG (Lucky Goldstar Electronics); Competitive Strategies Case Study; Sharp; Flat TV (television); Panasonic; Canon; SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display); Digital TV; CRT (cathode ray tubes); Howard Stringer

Contents : 
Global Digital TV Market: Trends
Plasma vs LCD: Strategic Initiatives
Plasma and LCD: A Brief Comparison