Vizio leads Q1 N America LCD TV shipments-iSuppli

SAN FRANCISCO, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. television maker Vizio Inc took the lead from Samsung Electronics Co in the North American LCD TV market in the first quarter, research group iSuppli said on Thursday, as consumers on tight budgets opted for lower-cost sets.

Vizio's share of North American LCD TV unit shipments rose to 21.6 percent in the January-March period, up 7.8 percentage points from the previous quarter.

Samsung fell to No. 2 with a 19.9 percent share. Sony Corp was in third with a 16.6 percent share, followed by LG Electronics and Sharp.

'Due to its aggressive pricing, Vizio for some time has maintained its position as North America's top-selling LCD-TV value brand,' said iSuppli analyst Riddhi Patel said in a news release.

'However, since the onset of the economic downturn, Vizio's share has risen dramatically. With budgets becoming increasingly tight, consumers are finding the company's inexpensive sets more alluring.'

iSuppli said on average Vizio's 40- and 42-inch LCD TVs are priced roughly $150 to $400 lower than comparable sets from Sony and Samsung.

Overall North American LCD TV shipments in the first quarter rose 10.5 percent from last year to 6.3 million units.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) Keywords: ISUPPLI/LCD ([e-mail]; [phone]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.