TCL to buy majority stake in Sony’s home entertainment
The Chinese company will pay 75.4 billion yen for a 51% stake in the new joint venture
Published Tue, Mar 31, 2026 · 09:02 PM
[HONG KONG/TOKYO] TCL Electronics Holdings agreed to buy a majority stake in Sony Group’s global home entertainment business as the Chinese company seeks to expand overseas.
TCL will pay 75.4 billion yen (S$610 million) for a 51 per cent stake in a new joint venture that will hold Sony’s home entertainment business including Bravia televisions, according to a statement on Tuesday (Mar 31), which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report.
Sony will retain a 49 per cent stake in the business, which also include research and development, design, manufacturing and product sales, as well as home audio equipment.
As part of the strategic partnership, TCL will also buy manufacturing subsidiary Sony EMCS (Malaysia) Sdn, or SOEM, according to the statement. TCL will continue to negotiate a potential purchase of all or part of Sony’s Chinese manufacturing business Shanghai Suoguang Visual Products, known as SSVE.
The enterprise value of the businesses included in the JV and the SOEM unit, but excluding the SSVE business, is 102.8 billion yen. The final amount will be determined by adjustments for net debt and working capital when the transaction closes.
Sony has focused on expanding its portfolio of intellectual property assets – anime, live-action film, music and sports broadcasts – while trimming consumer electronics. TCL, one of China’s oldest and largest electronics conglomerates, has for years tried to expand overseas.
The two companies said in January they intended to set up a joint venture for Sony’s home entertainment business, including its Bravia television brand. The venture will begin operations in April 2027, making TVs under the Sony and Bravia names but using TCL’s display technology.
TCL’s stock has gained 23 per cent this year in Hong Kong, giving the company a market value of US$4.1 billion. Shares of Sony have dropped 20 per cent, giving the Tokyo-based company a market value of about US$124 billion. BLOOMBERG
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