Sony Corporation will carve out its television business and transfer it to a new joint venture with TCL Electronics Holdings, in a restructuring of the Japanese company’s home entertainment operations.
Under the agreement, the Chinese company will hold a 51 per cent stake, with the remainder belonging to Sony. The new joint venture (JV) is expected to begin operations in April 2027. It will operate the business globally, covering everything from product development and design to manufacturing and sales of televisions and home audio equipment.
Products from the new company are expected to carry the globally recognised ‘Sony’ and ‘Bravia’ branding.
TCL, which had one of the most prominent booths at the CES 2026 electronics conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, has long tried to forge a major overseas business.
TCL is already popular in the US for budget televisions and has previously licensed the BlackBerry brand for mobile devices.
Competition in the global television market continues to intensify, particularly for larger and higher-resolution screens, driven by the growth of streaming services. Chinese manufacturers such as TCL and Hisense have been expanding overseas, aided by cost efficiencies. At the same time, tightening margins are putting pressure on Japanese brands, forcing them to rethink their business models.
Many Japanese manufacturers, which once dominated the global television market, have gradually exited the sector. Sharp is now controlled by Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry, while Toshiba sold its television unit to Hisense in 2017–18.
In recent years, Tokyo-based Sony has been expanding its portfolio of intellectual property assets across games, live-action film and anime, among other areas. Last year, it took stakes in Bandai Namco Holdings to strengthen collaboration in games, animation and entertainment franchises.
The company has already ended its PC and tablet operations. Sony Bravia televisions have nevertheless retained their position in the premium tier of the market, a legacy that dates back to the Trinitron era.
In a press note, Sony CEO Kimio Maki said that combining the two companies would allow Sony and TCL to “create new customer value in the home entertainment field, delivering even more captivating audio and visual experiences to customers worldwide”.
TCL chairperson DU Juan said the company expects “to elevate our brand value, achieve greater scale, and optimise the supply chain in order to deliver superior products and services to our customers”.