Sony has announced that it plans to enter a partnership with TCL that will see TCL carry forward its TV business in the years to come. This might sound like Sony TVs are going away, but that isn’t really the case. Sony and TCL’s plan is to enter into a partnership that will essentially merge the best parts of both TV brands to produce new TVs. These TVs will still carry the Sony Bravia branding and will utilize components from both companies. Sony will also still be involved in the new venture.
The announcement states that Sony will hold 49% of the shares while TCL will hold 51%. For years, Sony has been a behemoth name in the consumer electronics market. However, TCL has been a behemoth in its own right, increasing market share in the TV category considerably over the last few years. Sony says that by starting this new venture with TCL, the two companies can produce TVs that utilize Sony’s high-quality picture expertise and TCL’s advanced display technology . It’s also not just about TCL’s advanced display tech. The new venture also benefits from TCL’s “global scale advantages, industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertical supply chain strength,” Sony says .
Sony’s TCL partnership will include TV and audio products
It isn’t just your next Sony TV that might also be a TCL TV; Sony’s home audio equipment is going to be a part of the venture as well. That means Sony soundbars, speakers, and more are going to be partly TCL moving forward. This won’t happen right away. Sony says the two companies have agreed to move forward with discussions about the partnership and that they plan to have an agreement finalized in March of this year.
This new venture will start operations in April 2027 . That means it will still be a while before consumers see any actual products from this new venture. However, when and if these products become available, the suggestion is that consumers will end up with Sony’s premium quality TVs with TCL’s advanced display tech and more affordable prices. The new venture still has to be approved by regulators as well.
