Panasonic exits the TV market: Legendary brand sells business to Skyworth

After more than 70 years in the television market, Panasonic has officially announced the sale of its TV business. The company, which once set industry standards with its Viera plasma panels, early mass-market OLED models, HCX processors, and other innovations, will no longer independently manufacture and sell televisions.

The buyer is Skyworth, one of the world’s largest TV producers and a top-five manufacturer by shipment volume.

What Exactly Is Happening

Panasonic is transferring to Skyworth the rights to manufacture, sell, and further develop televisions under the Panasonic brand. The deal covers all global regions, including Europe, the United States, and Asia.

At the same time, the Japanese company will retain several key functions:

• Quality control at all production stages.
  • Participation in the development of flagship models, especially OLED TVs.
  • Engineering consultation and technical supervision of Skyworth teams.

Panasonic has also officially promised full support for all televisions released under its brand until March 2026, including software updates, repairs, and spare parts availability.

Joint Models Already Exist

Skyworth and Panasonic have been cooperating for several years. Together they developed two premium OLED models, one of which features a Tandem WOLED panel supplied by LG Display — one of the most advanced technologies currently available, using dual OLED layers for higher brightness and durability.

These televisions were sold under the Panasonic brand but were assembled at Skyworth facilities under Japanese quality supervision.

Now this partnership will become the standard model: all future Panasonic TVs will be manufactured by Skyworth, while retaining Japanese design, calibration standards, and selected proprietary technologies.

Why Panasonic Made This Decision

The company has been open about its reasons. The television market has become extremely competitive and low-margin in recent years. Chinese manufacturers such as TCL, Hisense, and Skyworth offer comparable quality at significantly lower prices.

Despite its technological strengths and reputation, Panasonic struggled to maintain profitability in this segment. Selling the business allows the company to focus on higher-margin areas, including professional equipment (cameras and broadcast systems), automotive electronics, industrial batteries, and smart home solutions.

What This Means for Consumers

• Panasonic-branded televisions will continue to be released — but produced by Skyworth under Japanese supervision.
  • The quality of flagship models, particularly OLED TVs, is expected to remain high.
  • Support for existing Panasonic TVs is guaranteed until March 2026.
  • In the budget and mid-range segments, changes may be more noticeable, as Skyworth will likely have greater flexibility in component selection.

For brand loyalists, this marks the end of an era. Panasonic will no longer be an independent player in the mass-market TV industry — similar to the path once taken by Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba in various consumer electronics segments.

In Brief

Panasonic is selling its television business to Skyworth, one of the world’s largest TV manufacturers. The Japanese company will retain quality control, participate in the development of premium OLED models, and continue supporting TVs released before March 2026. Joint Panasonic–Skyworth models already exist. The decision reflects shrinking margins in the TV market and a strategic shift toward more profitable sectors. For consumers, it means the Panasonic brand will continue — but under a new manufacturing structure.