"Big Picture, Big Impact & Big Brands.

Almost half a million plasma televisions have been sold in Australia since 2003, with over 180,000 already being purchased this year (Jan-July06). This is an increase of over 300% from the same period in 05. On an MATJul06 basis, the Plasma category represents almost 1 billion dollars, which equates to over 44% in value of the total television category. One reason for Plasma's continued popularity, is simply that it has become much more affordable over the past few years, with the current average price of $3,293.

Plasma still dominates the sales of large screen televisions and out sells LCD in over "40" inch screens by 10 to 1. As a consequence Plasma televisions very much dominate the living room and the dedicated home theatre room. This is also supported by the fact that 45% of consumers who purchased a Plasma also purchased another product at the same time, with most purchasing an entertainment or home theatre system. This would suggest that when consumers are purchasing a Plasma, they are not only purchasing a television, but are also looking to build more of a total entertainment solution.

The important attributes for consumers when purchasing a Plasma are picture quality & brand reputation. The top five major brands represent over 80% of the total units sold over the past 12 months"

For further information please contact:

Derek Nash                          GfK Australia                                      02 9900 2851