OLED TV materials supplier Merck believes Samsung Electronics will begin to further pursue the OLED TV market in 2017 when material costs are expected to drop, and that fellow maker Samsung Display is likely to mass produce OLED TV panels during the time, according to a report from The Korea Times.

Samsung, which currently has a limited number of OLED TVs in the market and has centered its high-end TV business around Ultra HD (4K) TVs, aims to combat competition from LG by increasing its lineup of OLED TVs once relevant material costs reach competitive pricing. OLED materials used in TV panels are still expensive while production yields remain weak, prompting Samsung to take a conservative position in the OLED TV market throughout 2014-2015.

The report quoted Merck executive Brian Daniels as stating Samsung would also likely produce its own OLED TV panels rather than relying on panel supply from other makers. Samsung currently leads in small- to medium-size OLED panel production but has yet to enter mass production for OLED TV panels.

Daniels also noted the threat to Korea makers' leadership in the LCD market, as LCD production capacity continues rising in China, most of which is expected to come into fruition in 2016-2017. OLED would give Korea an advantage over China especially over the next 5-10 years when the OLED market is expected to take off, said Daniels.