BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Olympics have boosted sales of flat-panel TV to 6.1 million units in China in the first half, up 84.9 percent year on year, according to a report of a Hong Kong-based IT market research and consulting company under the China Center for Information Development (CCID) on Thursday.

    The consulting company said flat-panel TV sales had gained more than 30 percent of the country's color TV market.

    "Despite the unusual snow disaster early this year and the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province on May 12, the Olympics have stimulated China's flat-panel TV market," said Tian Xiaona, an assistant manager of the Consumer Electronics Industry Research Center of CCID.

    She added manufacturers had strengthened their marketing and sales promotions before the Games in hope of grabbing bigger market share.

    According to the report, from January to June, plasma TVs and larger LCD TVs experienced rising market share. Domestic and foreign producers battled neck and neck for flat-panel TV sales, with ROK-based Samsung in top spot, followed by Chinese brand Hisense.

    Tian anticipated that the prospect of the Olympics would continue to expand the flat-panel TV market share to 40 percent in the second half of the year. Manufacturers would shift their focus to smaller towns and rural areas as competition became fiercer.