Pioneer drop out of TV market

divine · 07-02-2009, 21:59

Quote:

Pioneer To End TV Production, Spin Off DVD Development-Nikkei

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Pioneer Corp. (6773.TO) will pull the plug on its loss-ridden television business and shift its DVD player operations to a new venture with Sharp Corp. (6753.TO) in a sweeping overhaul, The Nikkei reported in its Thursday morning edition.

The company had been planning to end in-house production of plasma panels by the end of March and outfit its TVs with Panasonic Corp. (6752.TO) panels instead. Faced with worsening profit margins, however, it has decided to end TV development and production altogether.

Pioneer will idle its lone domestic TV factory in Shizuoka Prefecture sometime this year. Factories in the U.S. and Europe are already slated for closure.

Sales of Pioneer TVs will continue for the time being. The company has not yet decided what to do when inventories run out.

Meanwhile, Pioneer will spin off its DVD player operations, which are equally steeped in losses, to a new company to be set up with Sharp as early as this spring.

The company plans to eliminate several thousand of its roughly 40,000 groupwide jobs in the year ending March 2010. Pioneer is likely to post a consolidated net loss of more than Y100 billion for the year ending this March, wider than the Y78 billion loss it forecast earlier.

Mark · 07-02-2009, 22:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine

Indeed. Trouble is, they're very much high-end niche market, and that's where the recession is biting hardest.

It's certainly a shame to see the best in the business going south. I'd hoped one day I might sell my old Pioneer plasma and get a Kuro, but that isn't to be. A lot of the Japanese tech firms are in one hell of a mess at the moment.

divine · 07-02-2009, 22:25

That's the trouble, they restricted themselves to the high end which was ok when everyone was feeling flush 18 months ago.

I wonder if they'd have lasted much longer had they produced a more budget range of screens.

phykell · 09-02-2009, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine

That's the trouble, they restricted themselves to the high end which was ok when everyone was feeling flush 18 months ago.

I wonder if they'd have lasted much longer had they produced a more budget range of screens.

It was my fault

Look at the facts - I take ages to decide which TV to buy and immediately after I do buy one the following happens:

1. VAT gets cut to 15%
2. There's a hue price reduction
3. Finally, Pioneer shut down TV production.

Flibster · 08-02-2009, 00:47

Time to get that 60" Kuro then....

A Place of Light · 08-02-2009, 01:09

Sad news tbh.

Psymonkee · 08-02-2009, 02:01

D'oh

What happens if it breaks after 1 year - will they still handle repairs?

Mark · 08-02-2009, 02:10

The Sale of Goods Act doesn't go away just because the manufacturer has - just be sure to pick a retailer that has a chance of still being around in a few years.

leowyatt · 08-02-2009, 09:26

You do wonder if their TVs were a little more evenly priced they might not be leaving the market so soon.

Greenlizard0 · 09-02-2009, 11:43

Does this mean in essence we're going to see heavy reductions in Pioneers in a few months?

07-02-2009, 22:25	#3
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	That's the trouble, they restricted themselves to the high end which was ok when everyone was feeling flush 18 months ago. I wonder if they'd have lasted much longer had they produced a more budget range of screens. __________________

08-02-2009, 00:47	#5
Flibster Moonshine Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,388	Time to get that 60" Kuro then.... __________________

08-02-2009, 02:01	#7
Psymonkee A cat wearing a wet suit Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: St.Andrews Posts: 2,023	D'oh What happens if it breaks after 1 year - will they still handle repairs? __________________ Sonisphere FMC Code: 1k949178

08-02-2009, 09:26	#9
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	You do wonder if their TVs were a little more evenly priced they might not be leaving the market so soon. __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

09-02-2009, 11:43	#10
Greenlizard0 Vodka Martini Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 717	Does this mean in essence we're going to see heavy reductions in Pioneers in a few months? __________________

08-02-2009, 01:09	#6
A Place of Light Absinthe Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,247	Sad news tbh.

08-02-2009, 02:10	#8
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	The Sale of Goods Act doesn't go away just because the manufacturer has - just be sure to pick a retailer that has a chance of still being around in a few years.