Strong concentration of TV screen manufacturing. - The largely unknown and highly concentrated LCD flatscreen market (for televisions) is dominated by a handful of South Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese companies organised in cartels due to the huge amount of investment required and the constant reduction in profit margins due to falling television prices. In 2009, 163 million flat LCD screens were supplied around the world, making a global turnover of US$88 billion. South Korea's Samsung Electronics and LG Display (a subsidiary of LG Electronics) themselves account for 50% of the LCD market, while Taiwan has CMO (Chi Mei Optoelectronics) and AU Optronics, the world's third and fourth biggest manufacturers, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes. Japanese company Sharp is the fifth largest LCD flatscreen manufacturer, and Japan also has Panasonic and Hitachi, particularly in the plasma screen market (plasma televisions account for only 10% of the TV market, compared with LCD). Various other companies have abandoned the market, like Philips (for LCD flatscreens) and Pioneer (for plasma screens). The world's top television sales companies are, unsurprisingly, Samsung and LG, which dominate the flat screen supply chain. In the third quarter of 2010, the two companies accounted for 35% of the world television market (21.6% for Samsung and 13.5% for LG) compared with 11.8% for Sony, 9.1% for Panasonic and 8% for Sharp. (I.L./transl.fl)