In January 2026, Sony announced it was handing 51% of its television business to Chinese manufacturer TCL, retaining 49% — and, crucially, keeping the Sony and BRAVIA brand names. By March 31, the deal was signed. The new joint venture, formally named BRAVIA Inc., will be headquartered in Sony’s Tokyo office but run on TCL’s manufacturing efficiency. The signal this sends is stark: Sony no longer needs to make televisions — it needs to own the brand equity that makes televisions premium. Because Sony’s real business is now entertainment. Gaming, music, anime, film, entertainment already accounts for 61% of Sony Group’s total revenue.
- TCL paid approximately ¥75.4 billion (~$475m) for the majority stake; the JV is expected to launch fully by April 2027
- Sony retains brand rights, image processing technology (BRAVIA XR), and audio engineering — the things that actually justify the price premium
- Sony Music’s pivot to anime IP, Crunchyroll growth (17 million+ paid subscribers), and PlayStation Productions all point in the same direction: Sony is a creative IP company now
- Brand value up 41% since 2024 to $28.4bn in the Kantar BrandZ Japan 2026 ranking
The most valuable thing Sony makes isn’t a television — it’s the trust that comes with the Sony name. By licensing that brand into a joint venture while retaining the IP that underpins it, Sony separates brand equity from manufacturing cost. Not every company can do this, but every brand should know which parts of their business they are and which parts they just happen to run.
