JEDDAH: Demand for televisions, especially high definition flat panels, is marking a steep increase in Saudi Arabia despite the economic crisis worldwide. "The local TV market is growing at the rate of five percent and the current annual demand is over 700,000," Adnan Matbouli, president and CEO of United Matbouli Group (UMG), told a press conference yesterday, which was marked by Matbouli and Samsung together launching the Korean electronic giant's latest line-up of advanced light emitting diode (LED), liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma display panel (PDP) high definition TVs.
"Even though retailers are facing a drop in sales of conventional TVs due to the economic downturn, our market share has increased due to a major competitor withdrawing sales of its conventional TVs, and helped us to build our brand image and increase demand for our products," Mansour Addas, marketing manager of UMG-Samsung, remarked. Gye Choon Cho, Jeddah-based general manager of Samsung Electronics, said the new line-up was the result of the Korean company's investment in research and development, which has increased to $9 billion, representing two to three percent of its annual turnover. Its R&D centers worldwide have 42,000 persons. "They all feature ultra-high contrast ratios as well as slim depths that allow for more artful designs plus increased energy savings. The crystal TV design and ultra slimness of the whole range has enabled Samsung to reduce materials usage and extra production steps that require more energy," he said.
"At the heart of the breakthrough new line-up is the LED engine. With the introduction of a new LED category of flat panel TVs, Samsung marks a transformative moment in the TV industry that revolutionizes the way consumers interact with and experience their TVs," Mohammed Asad Ali, senior manager, consumer electronics, at UMG-Samsung, said in his presentation.
