Global shipments of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels reached an all-time high in March, data showed Friday, apparently led by South Korean tech players' efforts to expand sales of high-end Ultra HD (UHD) displays.

The combined shipments of LCD panels by global tech firms reached 23.9 million units in March, up 11 percent from a year earlier and a record monthly high, according to the data compiled by industry tracker IHS Inc. It also marked a 20 percent increase from February.

By size, sales of 40-inch models were the largest at 3.3 million units, trailed by 23.6-inch models with 2.1 million units.

Other sizes -- models of 43, 49 and 65 inches -- posted shipments of 1.2 million, 900,000 and 400,000 units, respectively, the data showed.

Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's two leading tech giants, led the March gain, IHS said, adding their shipments of UHD panels jumped more than 50 percent on-month to 2.6 million units in March.

For all of 2015, however, IHS painted a gloomy picture.

"Demand will slow from the second quarter of 2015, and panel prices are already starting to fall, so TV panel shipments may face some growth challenges in the coming months," said Chung Yoon-sung, an IHS researcher.

The combined shipments of LCD panels will likely reach 261 million this year, edging up from the 253 million posted in 2014, he added.

Despite Samsung's and LG's robust shipments in March, the two said their TV businesses swung to a loss in the first quarter, with Samsung posting an operating loss of 140 billion won (US$130 million) in the consumer electronics sector amid soggy seasonal demand.

LG also said its home entertainment business suffered an operating loss in the first quarter, due mainly to the unfavorable foreign-exchange conditions in Brazil and Russia.

(Yonhap)