4K demand in North America, Western Europe to grow 72% by 2018, firm says

Demand for 4K/Ultra HD displays in North America and Western Europe will have a compound annual growth rate of 72 percent through 2018, according to new research published Friday by Futuresource Consulting.

The firm says shipments of 4K TV sets are expected to reach 11.6 million in 2014, up nearly 700 percent over 2013, with China currently accounting for 70 percent of worldwide demand.

Pay-TV operators are closely watching the 4K TV market as they gauge the investment in nascent services. In recent weeks, both DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) have rolled out limited services targeted to owners of new Samsung 4K sets.

"4K adoption is forecast to grow quickly from 2015 onwards with over 100 million shipments projected in 2018, representing 38% of the total TV market, says David Tett, research analyst at Futuresource Consulting, in a statement. "An indication that 4K is quickly becoming mainstream was the availability of many sets at discounted prices during last month's Black Friday."

For more:
- read this Futuresource Consulting story

Don't miss FierceCable's "Roadmap to 4K Readiness" breakfast panel at CES, featuring top-level executives from Comcast and Samsung. Register today right here.

Related links:
Comcast launches 4K service with NBC and USA shows
Deluxe rolls out 4K media services products for top pay-TV operators
Werner: Comcast to use Winter Olympics to promote 4K Ultra HD programming
Ready or not, 4K is coming … and you need a roadmap
Awareness of 4K up to 57%, Strategy Analytics says
DirecTV: Oh, one more thing, 4K setup will set you back $50