Katarzyna Petru
The year 2026 brings one of the biggest reshuffles in the RTV industry. Panasonic has officially announced a partnership with Skyworth Group, under which the Chinese giant will take over the sales, marketing, and logistics of the brand in Europe and North America starting in April 2026. This is a strategic move aimed at improving the profitability of the Japanese television division by leveraging the enormous scale of its new partner.
Japanese quality in Chinese edition
The biggest concern for fans of the brand is whether Panasonic will lose its legendary picture quality. The company reassures: all key technologies and R&D remain in Japan. Engineers from Osaka will continue to design image processors and oversee quality control, especially in flagship OLED models. Skyworth is set to be the "muscle" in this arrangement – providing powerful production capabilities and an efficient supply network, while Panasonic will remain the "brain," ensuring that televisions continue to offer images consistent with filmmakers' visions.
We already know this trend
The move by Panasonic is not an isolated case and fits into a broader trend of saving Japanese premium brands. A similar path was previously chosen by Sony, collaborating with TCL. Withdrawing from costly mass production and owning warehouses allows these, what can be called legendary producers to focus on what they do best, which is innovation. Thanks to the scale of operations of Skyworth, which is one of the largest manufacturers of panels and televisions in the world, Panasonic televisions have a chance for significantly better availability. Until now, finding a specific model in popular retail chains has been a challenge – that is set to change.
Prices down, service unchanged
For customers, two aspects are the most important: wallet and security. Thanks to cutting operational costs and logistics at Skyworth, Panasonic TV prices may become more competitive. This could be the moment when the great OLED screens of the Japanese brand finally stop being a luxury item for the select few and come closer to those Korean brands like LG or Samsung OLEDs. At the same time, Panasonic guarantees that service support and warranties will be fully maintained by them for products sold until March 2026.
New Models 2026 and Future Technology
As reported by FlatpanelsHD, the future of the OLED line under new management looks promising, mainly due to Skyworth's position, which is currently the third-largest manufacturer of OLED TVs in the world (selling a lot of OLED TVs with LG panels in China). During this year's announcements, Panasonic revealed so far one new model for 2026 – OLED Z85C/Z86C, while last year's flagships, such as Z95B and Z90B, will continue to be available for sale. However, the manufacturer presented prototypes that ignite the imagination, including a screen with the latest Tandem WOLED matrix (known from the upcoming LG G6), confirming that the brand is not giving up the fight for technological supremacy. In response to a question from FlatpanelsHD about a new, full-fledged flagship for 2026, company representatives suggested to expect further announcements later in the year.
