Global sales of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs jumped 135 percent in the April-June quarter from a year earlier to a record 9.4 million units, led by Philips Electronics with a 13.5 percent share, a research firm said.

LCD TVs accounted for 22 percent of the world's TV market in the second quarter of 2006 in unit terms, up from 17 percent in the first quarter, U.S.-based DisplaySearch said in a report dated August 21.

Flat-panel televisions such as LCD TVs and plasma TVs have seen explosive demand growth in recent years, driven by people trading in bulky cathode ray tube sets for sleek big-screen models, as well as sharp price declines.

Behind Philips, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. came in second with a 13.1 percent share, bumping off Sharp Corp., which held a 11.8 percent share, to third place from second in January-March.

In revenue terms, LCD TVs posted even sharper growth as manufacturers shift their focus to larger-sized models, which carry higher margins.

Global LCD TV revenues rose 138 percent on the year to a record $11.3 billion in the second quarter, representing 47 percent of the worldwide TV market.

Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). maintained its position as the world's top LCD TV supplier in value terms with a 16 percent share, closely followed by Samsung with 15.4 percent and Philips with 11 percent.

Sony swung to a quarterly profit in April-June, helped by robust sales of its Bravia brand LCD TVs.

Electronics TV