Samsung has made a claim to be the dominant force in 3D TV in both North America and Europe, with almost half of all sales in both markets in the first quarter of this year.

The claim follows the release of sales figures, compiled by market research companies NPD (North America) and GfK (Europe), which show the company to be well in the lead in sales terms compared to rivals Sony, Panasonic and LG.

The figures show that Samsung’s 3D TVs took a 48.8 per cent share of the US market in the first three months of this year, with nearest rival Sony taking 27.4 per cent, Panasonic 13.9 per cent and LG just 6.6 per cent.

The trend was echoed in Europe, with Samsung increasing its lead to 49.9 per cent, Sony dropping to 23.4 per cent, Panasonic falling to 10.2 per cent and LG clawing back a little with 7.7 per cent.

The figures came as something of a surprise to some commentators, who had expected LG’s less expensive Flat Panel Resistor (FPR) technology with its passive lens glasses to have made more inroads into the mass market.