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Omdia research finds consumers remain sceptical about the benefits of 8K

28 April, 2022 | Maria Rua Aguete

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8K TV is failing to appeal to consumers according to Omdia’s latest research which I recently shared at the NAB show for my session focused on the reality of UHD deployments. Our exclusive research has found that just 2.7 million households worldwide are expected to have an 8K TV by the end of 2026.

According to Omdia, shipments of 8K TVs only accounted for 0.15% of all TV shipments in 2021. This translated to a little more than 350,000 units globally. Samsung shipped 65% 8K TV units, with none to Japan.

In 4Q21, 95,500 8K televisions were shipped, an increase from 81,900 in 3Q21 due to seasonality. Shipments were led by China, although Western Europe and North America saw significant shipments as well, despite an absence of 8K content.

It appears that 8K TVs have lost momentum especially when the following reasons are considered:

  • With no convincing reason to buy 8K TVs (very little native content is available) the marketing is failing, numbers-wise.
  • Shipments were weaker than in 4Q20 and even 1Q21.
  • Samsung shipped 18% fewer 8K TVs than a year earlier.
  • China will not drive 8K compared to North America or even Western Europe, despite the large set sizes. Price pressure is too high.
  • We see no convincing market demand of further 8K service development. Even in Japan, where there is a true 8K channel (from NHK) uptake has been minimal.

     

8K TV household forecast

8K TV households 000s

Working the reduced shipment forecast through to households, we expect just 2.7 million households worldwide to have an 8K TV by the end of 2026.

No regions hit the level of 1% of households with a large enough audience to become commercially interesting. With TV providers struggling with the economics of 4K UHD, it really seems that 8K TVs small audience appears unattractive to content producers. It will be interesting to see how the market develops over the coming year.

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Maria Rua Aguete
Senior Research Director, Media and Entertainment

Maria Rua Aguete leads the strategic development of the media team and manages its day-to-day operations, tracking the continuing evolution of global service providers and operators. Maria first created the team while at Screen Digest, which became part of IHS Markit. 

The team’s research on service providers is deep and extensive, leveraging long-standing relationships with operators in all of the 70+ markets covered by the group, resulting in the most comprehensive source of television and operator market intelligence in the world. 

Maria is also a regular contributor to various reports, including the European Cable Yearbook, and she has led or has been a significant contributor to many consulting projects for high-profile media and technology companies, including the market-launch and purchase plans of an emerging television group, a Latin America DTT platform for a major channel group, and a satellite pay-TV provider for a private equity group. 

She has also performed commercial due diligence on a cable TV components business for a major international bank; a competitive review and strategic analysis for a major international channel operator; a comprehensive review of investment opportunities in the European cable market for a venture capital group; and a market report and due diligence on a localization services (dubbing/subtitling) company for an investment bank. 

Maria has collected many accolades throughout a storied career, and she is one of only 11 Technology Fellows named by IHS Markit during her time at the company, an honor that recognizes her deep expertise and exceptional standing within the analyst community. 

Maria holds a first class degree in economics and business studies from Vigo University in Spain, and an MBA from Cardiff Business School in Wales. She is a regular speaker at events like IBC and Mobile World Congress.   

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