Panasonic TVs Now Manufactured by China
Panasonic has confirmed that it will no longer manufacture televisions independently, having transferred television manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations bearing the Panasonic brand to Chinese technology company Skyworth, as announced during a product launch event and reported by FlatpanelsHD.
Under this partnership, Skyworth will assume control of sales, promotion and supply chain management across multiple regions, including the United States and European markets. Panasonic will continue to contribute technical expertise and quality control to maintain audiovisual quality standards and will collaborate with Skyworth on developing a premium OLED product line.
The company has confirmed that after-sales support will continue for all Panasonic televisions sold through March 2026, including devices launched from April 2026 onwards. According to Omdia research firm data from July, Skyworth ranks among the top five television brands globally by sales revenue in the first quarter of 2025, though its position remains inconsistent.
This decision represents the latest chapter in Panasonic’s long-running reduction of its involvement in the television business. During the plasma television era, Panasonic was a market leader, commanding 40.7 per cent of the global plasma panel market in 2010, ahead of Samsung and LG according to DisplaySearch data. However, in March 2014, Panasonic ceased plasma TV production due to growing consumer preference for flat-screen LCD televisions and economic pressures following the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.
That same year, Panasonic began reducing its television business in the United States, completely exiting the market in 2016. In 2021, the company announced it would outsource all television production to an unnamed third party. Although it briefly returned to the American market in 2024 with OLED and Mini LED televisions reportedly designed and developed in Japan, Panasonic President Yuki Kusumi stated in February 2025 that the company was “ready to sell” its television business if necessary.
The Skyworth agreement allows Panasonic to reduce resources allocated to television operations whilst continuing to generate revenue from Panasonic-branded television sales. The move also reflects the declining television manufacturing capacity in Japan. Other Japanese companies including Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi and Pioneer have already abandoned television production. Earlier this year, Tokyo-based Sony also announced the sale of 51 per cent of its home entertainment division, including televisions, to Chinese-based TCL.
During the partnership launch event, Panasonic also displayed two OLED television prototypes, including one model featuring LG Display’s latest Tandem WOLED panel technology, suggesting new Panasonic-branded television designs may be introduced in the near future.