Paweł Koper
What happened on 20 January 2026 will be remembered as one of the most significant moments in the history of consumer electronics. Sony Corporation and TCL Electronics officially announced the signing of a letter of intent that turns the current balance of power in the television market upside down. Both companies have decided to establish a new joint venture that will take over the entire home entertainment business of the Japanese giant. The biggest surprise is the ownership structure of this venture – it will be Chinese TCL that holds 51% of the shares, becoming the majority partner, while Sony will retain 49% of the shares.
End of Sony's Independence
The decision for such deep collaboration is a classic example of a "marriage of convenience", where both parties bring their best assets to the partnership. Sony has long been considered a market leader in terms of image quality, XR processors, and colour fidelity, however, the Japanese manufacturer has struggled with massive production and logistics costs, lacking its own matrix factories. Meanwhile, TCL is now a manufacturing powerhouse, equipped with state-of-the-art assembly lines and a vast operational scale that enables drastic reductions in final costs. The combination of Japanese engineering with Chinese efficiency is intended to be a response to the growing dominance of Korean brands and the changing habits of viewers.
Many fans of the Bravia brand may feel uneasy, however, the message from both companies clearly defines the future of the legendary products. The televisions and audio equipment created under the new company will still be branded with the Sony and Bravia logos. This means that for the end customer, the brand will remain recognisable, and on store shelves, we will still see products associated with the premium segment. However, the process of their creation will change – the new company will take full responsibility for the entire product lifecycle, from early design, through production, to global sales and service.
However, we will have to wait a little longer for the final effects of this partnership. Sony and TCL plan to finalise all binding agreements by the end of March 2026. After obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, the new company is set to officially start operational activities in April 2027. Until then, Sony will operate under the current terms, but the industry is already watching this move with bated breath, which effectively ends the era of the Japanese legend producing televisions independently!
