Exclusive Interview The
Exclusive Interview The Sharp End Of The Market Super-size, high-definition screens are a key target for the Osaka-based TV manufacturer President and CEO of Sharp Electronics (Europe) Hiroshi Sasaoka Interview by Richard Barnes Sharp kicked off its IFA presence this year with a stand themed on its sponsorship of UEFA 2012, an event that is set to breathe new life into TV sales. We asked President and CEO of Sharp Electronics (Europe) Hiroshi Sasaoka what his company’s message to the world is here at IFA… Our message is very, very simple. By utilising the advantage of our panel of production facility in Japan, we are now globally trying to expand, particularly the big screen size TVs. From our tenth-generation LCD panel factory in Japan we have a competitive advantage in the field of over-60-inch screens. With this understanding we started our big screen campaign in the US in April. Sharp’s value-share in the US has jumped from around 3% to over 9%. It’s a great success story. The same strategy was implemented in China in July onwards, and the results have been above expectations. In the European market, we were told by many stakeholders that there would be less demand for big screen sizes. But with narrow-bezel design and better technologies, even 60-inch is becoming a more affordable screen size in European homes. So that’s why this year we want to concentrate on big-screen LCD TVs. There are great opportunities for consumers to enjoy exciting sports events like the Euro 2012 on a big screen. Our promotion for this began in April and will continue through to March next year. Our goal is to move a large number of big screen TVs. So it is a myth that Europeans don’t want big screens? Demand for TVs over 55 inches in Europe is now exceeding two million units per year. This is still a small number, but sales of this category of product have been growing by more than 30% annually. Many manufacturers are now providing over 55-inch LCD TVs, so the price is becoming affordable for many people. In volume, it is expected that this year, despite the tough conditions, European demand in this sector will rise by a good margin. I believe if we can provide an exceptional product at an affordable price, there will be good demand for big screen sizes in Europe. From two million I believe volume will rise to two-point-five million in 2012. Consequently, there is a big opportunity for Sharp to leverage the advantage of its huge panel capacity. From 2012, we plan to introduce super-high-vision displays with 2K x 4K, and 4K x 8K products. Full HD is not the ultimate. In particular, with the 2K x 4K, we can upconvert a Full-HD signal to double the definition of the images. So users can enjoy a crisper, clearer image. A beautiful image like this is best seen on a big screen. This adds value to the LCD TV offer for the consumer. So there are two key messages: bigger screens and higherresolution images. How will you be pushing this into the market? It’s a tough market, not only for manufacturers, but also for distribution and dealers. Our business partners are also looking for new valueadded product. They say that the TV market is not growing value-wise, but if we bring a unique product, they can make some profit out of their business. Large screen size – high definition – is a very simple message for the consumer, because just seeing it, they can understand it. The 60-inch TV will be the same price as a 52-inch TV was last year, or a 42-inch two years ago. This will encourage demand for big-screen products. Hall 18 Stand 102 “From our tenth-generation LCD panel factory in Japan we have a competitive advantage in the field of over-60-inch screens.” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Tuesday 6 th September 2011 7
