Samsung makes pretty great TVs. It's not just me saying that, the world agrees, that's why Samsung has been the global market leader for almost 20 years straight. That's a pretty big achievement, to consistently come out on top year after year even when you face competition from some solid rivals.

The Korean giant has some distinct advantages. Samsung Display supplies state-of-the-art display panels for its TVs, a vital element of synergy that many other TV companies lack. Samsung's software is top notch and its vast global reach as a leading smartphone company also provides it with widespread brand recognition.

Not to mention the fact that it can utilize the ecosystem approach to make its TVs appear as a more suitable option for someone already using a Samsung phone, tablet, PC or home appliance.

Sony may have once been a force to be reckoned with in the global TV market but it just didn't seem to have the power to take on the juggernaut that is Samsung anymore. Its picture processing technology and software capabilities have always been highly rated, but it has been missing the wow factor that would make its TVs the complete package.

LG has carved out a decent niche for itself in the OLED segment, and it even has its own display subsidiary, but Samsung takes the cake in all other segments, and it has been abundantly clear for a while now which Korean TV manufacturer is the better one.

There are many Chinese manufacturers like HiSense, Xiaomi, and others that have launched respectable models with decent specs at attractive prices. While they have captured market share in the more price sensitive segments, Samsung remains the undisputed leader in the premium segment.

If there's one company that would have made Samsung watch its back a bit more, it's China's TCL. It is fast emerging as a serious competitor to Samsung and is rapidly closing the gap. The numbers don't lie. Counterpoint Research's data shows that in November 2025, TCL was a single percentage point away from Samsung's market share, 16% vs 17%, as TCL saw its year-over-year shipments jump by 22%.

TCL is becoming a danger for Samsung's lead because it continues to post massive jumps in market share even during months and quarters where other Chinese manufacturers see a decline in shipments. This goes to show that it's not that TVs from Chinese companies are losing favor with customers, it's just that they'd rather buy a TCL.

If Samsung felt TCL's brand equity problem kept it at bay, that may no longer be a problem. Sony recently announced that it's essentially giving up on its TV business. The company is putting the business under a new joint venture where TCL will have the 51% majority stake. Future Bravia TVs will have TCL technology, including display panels, while Sony will provide its picture processing technology and software capabilities.

Above all, what Sony provides in this joint venture is global brand equity and distribution. Bravia is a well respected brand and has built a loyal customer base across the globe over decades. The brand will live on under this joint venture so unless these new TVs carry a separate TCL badge, customers who have always bought a Sony Bravia may not even know they've bought a TV from TCL.

This might be what TCL was missing to compete at Samsung's level. It already has its own display subsidiary like Samsung, it has gone toe to toe with its Korean rival in emerging markets where it competes more effectively on price, and it uses the Android TV platform, which some users would prefer because Samsung TVs run the company's own Tizen platform.

Sony could provide that final push TCL needs to make its TVs as good as Samsung's, if not better. From its premium manufacturing prowess to its global distribution, from an enviable ecosystem in the PlayStation gaming platform to the brand power that Bravia enjoys, particularly in Western markets, this partnership has the potential to threaten Samsung's TV empire.

Analysts predict that the results of this partnership could come rather quickly. TCL/Sony could match Samsung's global TV market share by as soon as 2027 and may even surpass it in the following years. As consumers, we should welcome that, because all this will do is light a fire under Samsung to keep pushing the envelope.