• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Market SizeThe French market for televisions, video cassette recorders, and camcorders increased by 2% on the previous year to stand at €4.2 billion (US$4.7 billion) in 2003.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Market SectorsThe TV market is progressing significantly and is promising huge development for 2004.
The only factor currently holding back sales of plasma or LCD TVs in France is the price.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Share of MarketThe top four players are Philips, Sony, Samsung and Thomson, holding a combined volume share of 61.5% in 2003.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Marketing ActivityAn estimated €25 million was spent on advertising in the TV, VCR and camcorder market in 2003.
TV, poster and press remain the most important marketing media.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Corporate OverviewPanasonic, having lost market share of 1.5 percentage points from 2002 to 2003, failed to secure its position on the market due to the fact that its products do not offer enough functions compared to other brands of the same price.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Thomson MultimediaThomson Multimedia registered a turnover of €10.2 billion in 2002, a decrease of 2% on the previous year.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Royal Phillips ElectronicsThe group reached a turnover of €29 billion in 2003, following a figure of €32 billion in 2002.
Income stood at €695 million in 2003; Philips experienced losses of €3.2 billion in the previous year, saying there has been little improvement in the global economy.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Sony CorporationSony Corp.
reached a turnover of ¥7,474 billion in 2003, following a figure of ¥7,578 billion in 2002.
Income was ¥185 billion in the same year, an increase by almost 38% on the previous year.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Samsung ElectronicsThe group’s turnover reached KRW60 trillion in 2002, an increase by 28% on the previous year.
Operating profit stood at KRW9.2 trillion in 2002, following a figure of KRW4 trillion in 2001.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: DistributionFrench winners in distribution terms for video products were supermarkets/hypermarket, specialist multiples and department stores, holding volume shares of 39%, 30%, and 20%, respectively.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Consumer ProfileThe penetration of DVD hardware is growing at a phenomenal rate.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Market ForecastsThe market is expected to grow by 199% during the forecast period, reaching Euro12.5 billion (US$14 billion) in 2008.

• Tv, VCRs and Camcorders: Sector ForecastsThe forecast period is expected to see the continuation of the digital boom with video products such as DVD recorders, LCD TVs and digital camcorders expected to be the main ones driving this.
This development will be to the detriment of VCRs, traditional analogue TVs and analogue camcorders.