TCL moved ahead of Samsung Electronics in global liquid-crystal display TV shipments in June, taking a 13.8% share against Samsung's 13.7%, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 18th. The lead was narrow and the two companies have traded the top position before, but the result shows how Chinese TV makers have kept closing the gap in a stagnant market by expanding from budget models into premium mini-LED products. TCL has been broadening that push with its X11L, C8L and C7L series, built on its Super Quantum Dot technology, and with RGB mini-LED sets such as the RM9L in the large premium tier. Samsung has answered with the M80H, M70H, S95H and R95H and by extending RGB backlight technology from flagship models to lower-priced sets. Overall TV demand stayed weak, with global shipments down 0.4% year-on-year in the second quarter and down 4% in June after World Cup promotions pulled demand into April. The OLED TV market moved the other way, with shipments up 12% in June and 20% in the second quarter, while LG Electronics held more than half of the segment in both periods. LG Display is trying to make OLED TVs more price-competitive through its polarizer-free "WOLED SE" and a "2-stack tandem" structure, and Counterpoint Research said lower-priced OLED panels could help win back some customers who shifted to mini-LED.