Sony will no longer operate its own home entertainment division in the future. The segment primarily responsible for the TV business will be spun off into a new joint venture with TCL, in which Sony will hold a minority. New televisions called “Sony” and “Bravia” are planned with screens from TCL.
The electronics giant from Japan will no longer offer completely specially developed televisions in the future. The home entertainment division responsible for this is to be spun off from the parent company and will find its future home in a joint venture with the Chinese group TCL. This emerges from a letter of intent that both companies signed and published today.
Sony holds 49 percent of the joint venture
However, Sony will only hold a minority of the new joint venture at 49 percent, with the majority going to TCL at 51 percent. The final details should be clarified and the agreement finalized by the end of March this year. Operations are scheduled to begin in April 2027, provided all regulatory approvals have been granted by then.
The “Sony” and “Bravia” brands will remain
The new group will operate globally, meaning that the new product strategy will be implemented worldwide rather than market-specific. This envisages transferring Sony’s expertise in image and audio technology, the reputation of the Japanese brand and supply chain management that it has built up over the last few decades to the new joint venture. TCL, in turn, contributes the panel technology as well as advantages in global scaling, cost efficiency and vertical integration. According to Sony, new TV and audio products will continue to come onto the market under the well-known names “Sony” and “Bravia”. TCL products themselves are not affected by the joint venture.
With these measures, Sony sees itself better positioned for a market that, according to the announcement, is developing more towards video streaming, video sharing platforms, smart features, larger screens and higher resolutions.
