Serious questions are being raised about LG Electronics channel management plans, with retailers upset that LG for the first time have started selling cheap TV’s At Aldi while also offering 20% of their premium OLED TVs via mass CE retailers.
ChannelNews understands that the roll out of a $699, 55” 4K UHD TV, as part of Aldi’s Special Buys program has management at one big retailer, questioning their channel strategy with February seen a run out month for TV’s ahead of new 2024 model changes scheduled for April and May with retailers struggling to shift Old LG stock out of their stores.
ChannelNews has been told that among the retailers who are not happy are Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, The Good Guys and Bing Lee all retailers who are facing declines in TV sales.
LG who has a reputation for sending out press releases on anything they can to get publicity, have not only failed to issue a press release to ChannelNews they also failed to tell retailers of the move to open up Aldi as a new TV retailer.
LG has been flogging monitors at Aldi for some time, now they are moving to sell cheap TVs via Aldi despite the Company claiming in the past that their future is “Premium OLED TV’s.”
At the recent CES show in Las Vegas local management made no mention of a move to sell discounted value TVs via Aldi.
Last year LG was cutting relationships with value TV manufacturers to use their Web OS platform instead of Google or Android TV or even Samsung’s Tizen, now after several moved to the LG developed platform the South Korean Company has moved to compete head against these brands, including the likes of EKO, Linsar, Bauhn, Blaupunkt, Polaroid and Linsar whose TV’s are sold by a multitude of retail partners who LG electronics is now competing with for share.
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ChannelNews has asked LG Electronics General Manager Joshua Marshall to comment on their new TV Channel strategy.
The new Aldi TV includes:
• Resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel Type: IPS
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Contrast Ratio: 1200:1
• Response Time: 8ms
• Wide Viewing Angle
• a5 Gen5 AI Processor to optimise content for improved viewing quality
• ThinQ AI provides recommendations based on previous viewing selections
• Size: 55″ (138.7cm)
• webOS version: webOS 23
• HDR 10 compatible
• Smart assistant and connectivity
More to Come: