Vizio Widens Lead in U.S. LCD Television Sales

Vizio widened its lead in the U.S. liquid-crystal-display (LCD) television market in the fourth quarter, accounting for 27.6% of the country's sales, according to a report from research firm iSuppli on Thursday. Vizio, a closely held California company, sells lower-priced flat-screen TVs that proved popular during the holiday season.

Samsung, the No. 2 seller of LCDs in the U.S., made up 20.2% of the market share, meaning that Vizio outsold Samsung by more than seven percentage points. Vizio scored a two-percentage-point lead over Samsung in the third quarter, up from a one-point lead in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Meanwhile, Sony came in at third place, accounting for 10.1% of the U.S. LCD market in the quarter. That's an increase from the 9.7% market share it held in the third quarter, but down from 13.3% in the year-ago quarter.