Vizio ekes out a win for the top U.S. LCD TV retailer crown

We all know the economy is in the toilet meaning that many who would really like a shiny new TV are forced watching their old set. Despite the tight finances for many Americans, there are a large number of people out there who still have the money lying around to spend on new big purchases lie HDTVs.

The big difference is that even those who are buying today are tending to look at brands that offer more value for the money. The latest iSuppli figures for the LCD HDTV industry for Q2 2009 are in. Budget TV maker Vizio has seized the top spot out from under the nose of Samsung by a slight margin. Vizio held 21.7% of the U.S. LCD TV market for Q2 while Samsung held a very close 21.3% of the market.

The third place brand in the U.S. for the quarter was Sony with 11.9% share followed by Toshiba, LG, Panasonic, and Sharp. Vizio grew its sales 165% compared to the same quarter in 2008 and 10% compared to Q1 2009. Vizio was the top brand in the 21.5 to 24", 26", 32", and 37" LCD HDTV categories. I am sure that the prolific amount of Vizio sets that you can find in every Walmart around the country has helped Vizio stay in the top spot.