Samsung has overtaken LG Electronics in the OLED TV market as sales of TVs starts to climb from historic lows, also impacting the market is a move to Mini and QLED TVs.

According Omdia research Samsung is ahead in the US OLED market one of the biggest in the world as the South Korean TV powerhouses goes head to head in the premium market with LG struggling to hold onto share due to pressure from both TCL, Hisense and Samsung with their OLED TV’s.

Some observers claim that Samsung TV’s are benefitting from their dominance as a TV brand and in some cases are being seen as having a product that is seen as being superior due to a better processor and superior AI that links with a smartphone and tablet.

Another issue is related to the attitude of consumers who don’t like the fact that LG is making billions of dollars selling data captured from LG TV consumers using their WebOS software which is a key part of LG’s smart TV offering.

Back in 2023 LG held a commanding 59.2% of the US OLED market, this fell to 44.2% in 2024, and this year has slumped further to 34.5% as Samsung stripped share from their rival.

In comparison Samsung only held 14% of the US Premium OLED market back in 2023, this climbed to 36% last year, with the Company now holding 50.3% of the OLED market.

ChannelNews understands that a similar trend is emerging in Australia with LG also facing issues as Hisense and TLC go after their LED sales.

New analysis from Omdia’s quarterly TV sets market tracker reveals steady growth in 1Q25, defying concerns over tariff-related disruptions to global market, with shipments rising 2.4% year-on-year.

Stable demand from Western Europe and the USA combined with government incentives in China helped offset softer conditions in other markets including Australia and Japan.

The research group claims that 1Q25, global TV shipments reached 47.5 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from 46.4 million the previous year.

This growth is being described as “notable” given ongoing uncertainty around potential US tariff implementations and issues relating to inflation.

Retailers in Australia have already expanded the ranging of Samsung OLED TV’s while also increasing their orders of TCL and Hisense TV’s.

Globally major brands and OEMs are benefitting from their decision to invest in manufacturing TVs in Mexico.

This has allowed them to maintain significant supply into the USA as Mexico has 0% tariffs selling into the USA.

Also helping TV manufacturers is that the US government appears to be adopting a more moderate stance on tariffs, with most global tariffs now in the 10-15% range, making assembly in countries like Vietnam and Thailand “bearable” claims one executive at Samsung.

One issue is screen sizes and manufacturing dynamics claim an Omdia executive.

“These combined factors may yet result in changes to screen size dynamics and brand market shares, depending on capacity restraints, shipping costs, and strategic decisions made over the coming months,” they said.

According to the research Japan was the only region to see a fall in shipments, down 9.2% year-on-year.

A notable drop in interest for OLED TVs has significantly impacted the market, with OLED shipments falling over 50% year-on-year.

Weaker consumer confidence has suppressed the demand for premium technologies, a sharp contrast to Western Europe, where OLED shipments grew 18% year-on-year despite similar macro-economic challenges. Globally, OLED shipments increased 11%, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of growth.