Samsung Electronics Co. stood as the No. 1 seller of liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions in the first quarter of 2016, data showed Saturday, despite its shipments plunging amid the rise of Chinese rivals.

The South Korean tech giant sold 10.5 million units of LCD TVs in the January-March period, far outpacing other global rivals, the data compiled by industry tracker WitsView showed. Samsung's shipments, however, marked a 34.4-percent on-quarter drop.


LG Electronics Inc., Samsung's smaller South Korean rival, ranked second with 7.1 million units, down 13.4 percent over the cited period. Japan's Sony Corp. also suffered a 33.3-percent decrease in its shipment of LCD TVs.

China-based Hisense and TCL Corp., however, expanded their shipments in the first quarter from the three-month period earlier at 13.8 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively.

The rise of Chinese firms is also significant as combined shipment of global LCD TVs for the first quarter is estimated at 48.3 million units, down 20.9 percent from the previous quarter. (Yonhap)