Today, the market offers a vast selection of televisions, but how do you choose one that fully meets your needs and won’t disappoint you? In practice, it turns out that manufacturers and sellers often do not disclose all the necessary information about their products, and it can be difficult to find all the details on the manufacturers’ websites. This complicates the decision-making process, as many buyers tend to focus on price and, often, on the reputation of the brand. However, in today’s environment, these factors are not enough to make the right choice. I have been following the TV market for over 10 years, and I’m ready to share the changes that have taken place in TV production and what trends are expected in 2025.
How the approach to producing TVs has changed in recent years
Since the early 2000s, the production of household appliances, including televisions, has undergone significant changes. Previously, companies that owned the brands developed and manufactured the TVs themselves. However, with the growth of globalization and increasing competition, the independent production of televisions has become economically unfeasible. Today, most manufacturers do not engage in creating TVs themselves but focus on developing concepts and technologies. The foundation of the modern market consists of component suppliers, and many companies purchase parts from third-party manufacturers and then assemble the TVs under their brand. It’s important to note that today no company owns the full cycle of TV production and relies on component suppliers. Some brands don’t even have their own manufacturing facilities, instead simply ordering assembly from OEM or ODM manufacturers. A prime example is Vizio, which, despite holding a significant market share in the U.S., does not own any factories.
Transition to Licensing and TV Assembly
Many companies that once produced TVs have ceased to do so. The manufacturing facilities that were no longer used for their original purpose were either repurposed or closed. Meanwhile, large corporations began actively expanding their markets by offering affordable products, often purchasing or renting licenses to produce TVs under well-known brands. This was preceded by global changes in the display market. Until 2010, Japanese companies, such as Sharp, dominated the display production industry. However, in the early 2010s, LG and Samsung entered the market by building their own factories and pushed Japanese manufacturers out.
The next important step in the development of TVs was the rise of Smart TVs, which began to actively develop around 2015. By this time, the Smart TV concept had gained stability, and various operating systems emerged. By 2024, these systems had significantly reduced in number. Today, several operating systems dominate: Android TV and its versions with Google’s overlay, Tizen from Samsung, and WebOS from LG. It is also worth noting Roku TV OS, which gained popularity due to Roku’s streaming devices, and ViDAA from Hisense, which is supported by the manufacturer. At the same time, Vizio’s Smartcast OS is losing popularity, mainly due to the quality of their TVs, which fall behind competitors. Overall, there is a trend towards the reduction in the number of operating systems, with Panasonic announcing in 2023 that it would abandon its My Home Screen OS, based on Firefox OS.
How to Choose a TV Types of Manufacturers
Currently, there are three main types of TV manufacturers:
- Manufacturers who own brands and invest in research and development. These brands include Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Hisense, and TCL.
- Manufacturers that assemble TVs under contract (OEM). Examples of such brands include Vizio, JVC, and others.
- Manufacturers that use old brands or OEM schemes for TV production. Brands like Sharp, Toshiba, JVC, Philips, Polaroid, RCA, Thomson, Grundig, and others fall into this category. For instance, Philips sold its TV manufacturing business in 2014, while Toshiba divested its visual business in 2017, selling it to Hisense. Grundig TVs are now produced by the Turkish company Vestel, which owns the brand, while the Grundig company itself no longer exists.
These differences are crucial when choosing a TV, as many companies that buy licenses to produce TVs are not interested in developing new technologies. Instead, they purchase components from third-party manufacturers or order assembly under their brand. This often means that such TVs may lack the level of quality and technological innovation found in products from companies that design and produce their devices in-house.
Chinese TV Manufacturers
China has invested heavily in acquiring technologies and has become a major production hub for electronics. Chinese companies have purchased LED screen production lines from LG and Samsung. It’s no secret that most TVs are made in China. Chinese manufacturers offer a wide range of quality: some companies produce good TVs, such as Hisense, which has some excellent models, but being a large OEM producer, it also makes budget models.
Tips for Choosing a TV
- Determine your budget. If you’re looking for a budget TV, almost any model will work. You’d be surprised, but many of these TVs have identical components, with only the brand name differing.
- For premium models, it’s best to focus on well-known brands like LG, Samsung, or Sony. You can also consider Hisense or TCL, but not all models are worth it. In this case, it’s better to check reviews and specifications.
Trends for 2025
Honestly, I don’t foresee any groundbreaking technologies that might enter mass production in the near future. As a result, TV advertising in 2025 will likely continue to emphasize artificial intelligence and software improvements.
