TV makers putting on big show abroad

Yang added that as competition in the TV market becomes increasingly saturated and supply chain costs continue to rise, integration models combining "technology, supply chain, channels and scale" are likely to become a key trend.

"By leveraging technology for market access and channels for business expansion, Chinese brands are expected to steadily increase their global influence," Yang said.

Similar moves have been seen across the industry. In January, domestic home appliance heavyweight TCL, which floated in Hong Kong, announced plans to establish a joint venture with Sony, in which TCL will hold a 51 percent stake and Sony 49 percent, to take over the latter's home entertainment business, covering the full chain from R&D to sales and customer service.

Skyworth acquired the operating rights for Philips-branded TVs in North America last year, and earlier acquired German TV brand Metz. In 2017, Hisense acquired a 95 percent stake in Toshiba's TV business, forming TVS Regza.

These developments point to the growing global competitiveness of Chinese TV brands. Data from market research institute AVC Revo show that global TV shipments reached 264 million units in 2025, with Samsung, TCL, Hisense, LG and Xiaomi ranking as the top five vendors.

Notably, TCL's shipments surpassed 30 million units for the first time, narrowing its gap with Samsung to within 5 million units.

"Whether through JVs or brand licensing, competition in the global TV sector has increasingly evolved into a contest between Chinese and South Korean players," Yang said.

At the same time, weakening demand in the domestic market is accelerating Chinese manufacturers' push overseas. AVC Revo's data show that China's TV sales fell to 27.63 million units in 2025, the lowest level on record. Research firm Omdia's analysis also indicates that as government subsidies ended and consumers had already brought forward purchases, shipments in China in the fourth quarter of 2025 dropped 25.3 percent year-on-year.

The slowdown has weighed on domestic revenues. According to TCL's annual financial results filed with the Hong Kong bourse, the company's domestic TV business generated HK $17.2 billion ($2.2 billion) in 2025, down 9.7 percent year-on-year, while Skyworth's domestic revenue in the TV sector fell 7.4 percent to 11.78 billion yuan ($1.73 billion). Hisense's TV unit also recorded a 5.14 percent decline in domestic revenue.