Sony leapt to first place from fourth place in the LCD-TV market during the final three months of last year, knocking rival Sharp off the top spot for the first time ever, according to market researcher DisplaySearch.

In what may mark signs of a revival for Sony, the company’s Bravia series of LCD-TVs led it to the first place spot in the fourth quarter of last year in both units and revenue, along with its LCD panel capacity from its TFT-LCD panel joint venture with Samsung Electronics, DisplaySearch said.

Sony has been aggressively slashing prices of its Bravia series, and pumped up its marketing in the final months of last year to grab a bigger share of the market. Its strong name brand was the biggest boost, a DisplaySearch analyst says.

Sony’s share of unit sales surged to 15 percent of the overall market from just 9 percent during the third quarter, mainly due to sales of LCD-TVs with larger size screens, the market researcher says. In terms of sales, Sony reached a 19 percent share of market revenue in the fourth quarter, up from 13 percent in the previous quarter.

Source: pcworld