In brief: Samsung remained the number one global TV brand in November last year, but it appears that TCL is set to overtake the Korean firm. Samsung's YoY shipments fell 3%, while TCL's were up 20%. With the Chinese giant taking over Sony's home entertainment division, expect a new TV king to be confirmed soon.
Counterpoint Research's latest monthly TV market tracker reveals that global television shipments were down 1% YoY in November 2025, a reversal of the growth that had been seen during the previous two months.
Samsung continued its reign at the top with a 17% share. That's down 1% compared to the same period last year. TCL, meanwhile, is right behind the leader with a 16% share, up 3% YoY.
The rest of the top five is made up of Hisense with 10% (down 2% YoY), LG with 9% (up 1%), and Walmart with 5% (up 2%).
TCL has long been known for offering more affordable alternatives to the likes of LG and Samsung. Counterpoint Research Associate Director Sujeong Lim said that competitively priced TCL TVs with technologies such as MiniLED have received a great response in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Earlier this month, Sony agreed to effectively hand over control of its home entertainment business to TCL. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture that will oversee Sony's home entertainment division, with Sony holding a 49% stake and TCL taking a controlling 51% share.
The new company is expected to begin operations in April 2027. While the TVs will still be sold under the Sony and Bravia brands, Counterpoint measures shipment share by brand owner (i.e. TCL).
It was reported last year that TCL's premium TV shipments more than doubled YoY at the end of 2024, overtaking LG.
Returning to the global shipments chart, we see that Hisense was the second manufacturer in the top five to see a share decline. Its shipments were down 13% YoY, mostly due to a 24% decline in its home market of China.
LG's relatively small presence in China was offset by growth in North American and Latin American markets, 8% and 29% YoY, respectively.
Finally, there's Walmart. Its $2.3 billion acquisition of Vizio, which completed in December 2024, helped push the company into the top five and become Samsung's strongest competitor in North America.