[THE INVESTOR] LG Display, the display-making unit of LG Group, has almost doubled production of its 65-inch organic light-emitting diode panels in the second quarter as more TV manufacturers are adopting the larger OLED display.

According to UBI Research, a local research firm specialized in OLED, the company shipped a combined140,000 OLED panels in the April-June period. Of them, the 65-inch panel made up 28,000 units, doubling from some 14,000 units in the first quarter. 

The increased shipments of LG, the No. 1 player in the larger OLED market, indicates that the OLED TV market has started gaining momentum in sales and TV firms are also increasingly adopting larger panels.

More recently, German TV makers, including Loewe and Metz, have joined to adopt LG's OLED displays. The company has also shipped 30,000 panels to China's Skyworth this year. 

“Consumers have been reluctant to purchase smaller OLED TVs due to the huge price gap with their LCD alternatives,” said UBI.

“But the price gap is reduced when it comes to larger premium models. That’s why LG Display is focusing resources into 60-inch plus panels.”

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)