TCL is taking over Sony TVs
Is this the first big merger of 2026?
In a press release today, Sony announced that it will be moving the control of its TV business over to TCL, one of the largest TV manufacturers. This is an unprecedented move, as the two companies are very much head-to-head rivals in the TV industry. TCL will take 51 percent of the shares of Sony TV and Sony will maintain 49 percent of the TV business. The products will keep the "Sony" and "Bravia" names, in order to keep Sony's "brand loyalty."
Sony mentioned that this will allow them to leverage Sony's "high-quality picture and audio technology," along with "brand value and operational expertise including supply chain management." This deal will also allow them to leverage TCL's "advanced display technology, global scale advantages, industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertical supply chain strength." Essentially, what Sony is saying is that they will use Sony's technology and brand with TCL's logistics. The fact that TCL is maintaining control of specifically Sony, not the other way around, makes sense for this merger, as it does keep the Sony name, while allowing TCL to continue to make their own TVs.
TCL is also a bigger player in the TV market, with around 14 percent market share compared to Sony's roughly 5-10 percent market share (according to Counterpoint Research), so this deal still allows for them to grow as a brand unrestricted of the Sony deal.
This is a shocking deal and one that shakes up the TV industry. TCL has been known to make extremely large, over 100-inch TV
s, and Sony has been one of the leading manufacturers of incredible QD-OLED panels. TCL currently does not make a QD-OLED TV (instead focusing on QD-Mini LED) and Sony does not have any TVs larger than 100 inches, so could this mean that giant QD-OLED TVs are arriving soon? Hopefully, but not for a while. The new company created by this deal will only begin shipping products starting in April 2027, so it will be a long time before we see any major shifts for either company.
This new deal between TCL and Sony is very interesting and should bring great TVs under the Sony name. We will have to wait and see what Sony does soon.
