Strong Momentum for Vizio CastOS and Amazon FireTV
Vizio has demonstrated impressive growth in the North American TV market, with its CastOS platform shipping 1.2 million units during the first quarter of 2025, marking a remarkable 40.4% year-over-year increase. Similarly, Amazon FireTV also showed a solid performance, achieving a 21.5% year-on-year growth, reaching the same unit shipment figure of 1.2 million.
Overall, North American TV set shipments totaled 9.8 million units, reflecting a modest 0.55% growth compared to the previous year. This trend is part of a larger global picture where TV set shipments rose by 2.4% year-over-year to 47.5 million units. Latin America is experiencing the fastest growth rate at 9.17% YoY, followed by China at 3.25% YoY.
Retailers Invest in TV Operating Systems
The competition in the TV market is increasingly centered around operating systems, as major retailers like Amazon and Walmart invest in owning and controlling these platforms. These companies view TV OS as vital for delivering targeted advertising directly into consumer homes, which in turn drives e-commerce sales on their platforms.
Walmart's acquisition of Vizio, finalized in December 2024, has led to an aggressive expansion of Vizio TV sales, with plans to integrate the VIZIO operating system into Walmart’s onn TVs. Omdia projects that Vizio CastOS will grow by 25.8% YoY in 2025, anticipating shipments to reach 6.0 million units, up from 4.8 million.
Patrick Horner, Practice Leader for TV Set Research at Omdia, noted that Vizio CastOS is expected to capture a 12.0% market share in North America by the end of 2025, an increase from 9.7% in 2024. During this same period, Amazon FireTV is projected to maintain a slight lead with a 12.6% market share, up from 12.3% in 2024.
Price Trends in the TV Market
In the first quarter of 2025, the average selling price of Vizio TVs decreased by 9.6% to $227, compared to $251 in Q1 2024. In contrast, the average selling price for TVs in North America rose by 2.0%, from $401 to $409. With 29% of U.S. TV consumers ranking price as the most crucial factor in their purchasing decisions, Walmart's pricing strategy effectively enhances Vizio CastOS’ market share.
Horner further explained that retailer-owned TV brands are beginning to encroach on the traditional television manufacturing space, especially in the value-priced $200-300 segment. Brands like Walmart’s Onn and Vizio are competing aggressively on pricing, exerting pressure on established brands. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers such as TCL and Hisense are pivoting towards premium segments priced at $1,000 and above, ramping up the production of large LCD TVs enhanced by cutting-edge technologies like Mini-LED backlighting and quantum dots for superior picture quality.
For more insights into stock trends and market dynamics, visit Inside Ticker.