Samsung and Sony starting a price fixing campaign on HDTVs.
Sony and Samsung, two of the world's largest TV makers, have begun enforcing minimum prices on their sets, in an effort to aid brick-and-mortar retailers and improve margins in the cutthroat HDTV business.
Both Samsung and Sony began enforcing the new policy last month, according to The Wall Street Journal. The companies hope the move will stop the slide of HDTV prices, which have fallen 15 percent over the last two years to an average selling price of $545.
In fact, the strategy takes a page out of Apple's playbook, as the iPod maker has strict rules that restrict the prices at which the company's products can be sold. Apple's policies with third-party resellers help to ensure that Apple can maintain its margins. In its last holiday quarter, Apple reported reported gross margins of 47.4 percent.
Sony had previously set strict minimum prices for products like its PlayStation videogame consoles and Handycam camcorders, but enforcing minimum prices on HDTVs is a new policy that industry watchers say could pose a risk. Because Sony is only joined by Samsung in this strategy, competitors like Panasonic, Sharp and LG could see their sales grow through continued steep discounts at online retailers like Amazon.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/23/samsung_sony_begin_enforcing_minimum_prices_on_hdtvs_to_grow_margins.html
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