Impact of the US Economy on the TV Supply Chain and Commoditization Are Among Hot Topics at DisplaySearch’s Upcoming TV Supply Chain Conference

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AUSTIN, TEXAS April 3, 2008—In an industry that has become increasingly commoditized, it becomes even more important for the TV supply chain to adjust strategy and tactics in a timely manner, without incurring excessive additional costs, in order to stay ahead of the competition and be profitable. Which companies have been successful in doing this? How is the state of the US economy affecting the TV supply chain and consumer demand for TVs? Are all elements of the supply chain affected equally or are some facing greater challenges than others? DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, will address these pressing issues among other hot topics at its upcoming 2008 TV Supply Chain Conference to be held June 5-6, 2008 in San Diego, California.

“While the downturn in the US economy has arguably impacted the TV supply chain, not all links of the chain are impacted equally. For example, panel makers that benefited from high growth and slower price declines last year will continue to enjoy record profits on tight supply, while TV brands and retailers are facing consumer demand challenges,” noted Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch Director of North America TV Research, who will discuss this topic further in his “US TV Market Outlook: Reading the Tea Leaves” session at the conference.

Commoditization has also become a pressing issue for the TV supply chain, as TV brands try to avoid competing on price alone. In the “Future of TV: From Numbers Driven Marketing to Consumer Love at First Sight” session, DisplaySearch will take a closer look at how brands can “de-commoditize” and the new rules of what it takes to succeed in the Digital Consumer business, where even established positions are under threat and barriers to entry are so low. “The flat TV market was driven by consumers being wowed by the format, but now all TVs are flat, so the industry needs to re-discover how to excite consumers,” remarked Paul Gray, Director of European TV Research.

Other hot topics to be addressed at this year’s conference include

Panels: Core TV Components
Will panel manufacturers see profits in 2008? What rate of reinvestment is needed? Who in the chain will gain and what are the strategies of top tier brands to capture a larger piece of the panel pie?

TV Technologies: Are Smart Panels the Best Solution?
At the moment there is no standard approach to TV electronics. What are the trends in system design? Will Smart Panels prove to be the best solution or are there benefits from other TV IC architectures? Which architecture is appropriate for each segment of the market? Do architecture choices affect a set maker’s industrial and logistics structure? Paul Gray, Director TV Research Europe commented: “While big systems-on-chip have driven IC vendors’ thinking, set makers also want the freedom of a modular approach. The issue is where the balance lies between cost and flexibility—and what kind of advantage does each give.” DisplaySearch will debate the pros and cons of different approaches.

TV Assembly Challenges: Recognizing When and How to Outsource
How are TV assemblers able to reduce costs through outsourcing? What is the OEM/ODM business model and cost structure and what are their growth strategies?

Supply Chain Management: Finding the Loose Change
What are the best practices of supply chain management that can lead to improved logistics efficiency and reduced costs? Margins are being pressured throughout the supply chain, but are there opportunities to squeeze out a few extra points from operational improvements? How can new technologies reduce both distribution and inventory costs and improve market responsiveness? Will traditional brand powerhouses be able to effectively assert their channel power over new brands who operate on a much leaner logistics model?

Bringing together the entire TV supply chain, including retailers, TV brands, panel suppliers, TV electronics suppliers, other component suppliers and financial analysts, the 2008 TV Supply Chain Conference provides a venue to discuss the TV supply chain trends, including efficiency improvements, best-known-methods to increase margins, opportunity for profits and future outlook.

Registration Information
Register by May 2, 2008 to qualify for an early-bird discount. To register, visit http://www.displaysearch.com/tvsupply.

Corporate Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities
Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsorship packages are available to generate brand awareness to TV supply chain constituents. Details and pricing are available at www.displaysearch.com/tvsupply. For more information about sponsorships, tabletop exhibits or the Call for Speakers, please contact Heather Boudreau at 516.625.6133 or heather_boudreau@displaysearch.com.

Media interested in attending DisplaySearch’s TV Supply Chain Conference should contact Stacey Voorhees via e-mail at stacey@savvypublicrelations.net or call 925.336.9592.

About DisplaySearch
DisplaySearch, an NPD Group company, has a core team of 59 employees located in Europe, North America and Asia who produce a valued suite of FPD-related market forecasts, technology assessments, surveys, studies and analyses. The company also organizes influential events worldwide. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, DisplaySearch has regional operations in Chicago, Houston, Kyoto, London, San Diego, San Jose, Seoul, Shenzhen, Taipei and Tokyo, and the company is on the web at http://www.displaysearch.com/.

About The NPD Group Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys and wireless. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com/.