Sony and TCL have announced plans to create a new “joint venture” that will manage Sony’s “TV and home audio equipment business” in the future. The new company will handle “product development and design through manufacturing, sales, logistics and customer service,” according to a report published by Morningstar.
It appears that this new company will take over Sony Electronics’ entire TV business. The release states that it will be 51% owned by TCL and 49% by Sony, suggesting that TCL will be the dominant player in its operation.
It’s unclear exactly what “home audio” entails here – I assume soundbars such as the Bravia Theater Quad are included, but Sony CS separate speakers are perhaps more of a gray area. I wouldn’t expect Sony Bluetooth headphones and speakers to be included.
“The new company plans to advance its business by leveraging Sony’s high-quality picture and audio technology cultivated over years, brand value and operational expertise, including supply chain management, while utilizing TCL’s advanced display technology, global strength, industry footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency and vertical supply chain advantages.
I’ve also reached out to TCL for comment, though I’m not expecting many concrete details on that front either: the report says final deals are expected to be reached by the end of March.
TCL TVs in Sony badges?
We’re only three weeks into January, and already my TV prediction bingo card has been turned upside down: I wasn’t expecting seismic news like this, especially when Sony has yet to announce its 2026 TV lineup (which we know is coming, because it’s been promising us its RGB TV tech would arrive this year for…well, about a year).
This is an interesting approach for the future. I suspect TCL’s larger stake in the company means it will likely dominate Sony-branded TV manufacturing in the future – but Sony will still retain a huge stake in the company.
So it doesn’t seem like it’s just an old, revered brand whose technology is made by a completely independent company, as is the case with Toshiba TVs. (Although this can yield impressive results: Philips’ European OLED TVs are made by another company and are excellent.)
I hope that Sony’s development teams will be involved in the new company and that the joint venture will continue to use OLED panels whenever it wants, even if TCL avoids OLED altogether for its own TVs. Maybe we’ll still get Sony Bravia XR processing and a picture profile designed to match Sony’s professional monitors, like its TVs are designed now.
It could be that TCL primarily transforms Sony’s mid-range and budget options with its incredibly cost-effective manufacturing. Sony’s high-end TVs are legendary, but even though their most affordable options are very nice, they basically still lag behind the competition in terms of value – and that’s doubled over the past year, with TCL, Hisense, Amazon and Roku increasingly dominating the mid-range TV world.
But it’s possible that the changes will be more fundamental and Sony’s contribution will be much lighter – and that we’ll actually see TCL TVs with Sony badges and a few unique features to set them apart (like the Perfect for PlayStation features).
One thing to note here is that TCL is already the producer of the panels used by a plot of TV makers, through its display manufacturing arm, TCL CSOT – so its involvement in Sony manufacturing may not be that different from now, depending on where Sony gets its panels.
Or it could mean much more dramatic changes in the future. I guess if the new joint activity is only confirmed in March, the earliest possible will be CES 2027.
Regardless, Sony fans are some of the most enthusiastic and loyal in the television world. So it’s going to be an interesting year for them either way.
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