Sony and TCL, the remote control changes hands. What will happen now?

First the dominance of Korean TV manufacturers Samsung and Lg, then competition from the Chinese have produced what for Japanese consumer electronics is the end of an era. Despite the excellent quality expressed in audio and video, in the end Sony decided to put its jewel in a safe shared with the Chinese TCL. 51% in Beijing, 49% in Tokyo. Translated: the industrial remote control changes hands. The TV market has become an hourglass. At the top a few premiums. At the bottom, masses with thin margins. In the middle, the desert. Panel costs fall, logistics costs, volumes decide. TCL brings factories, glass, vertical supply chain. Sony brings brains: algorithms, colour, audio. It is the metaphor of engine and chassis: separated they lose, together they run. What changes? The game is no longer 'who makes the best TV', but 'who does it well on a global scale'. With the joint venture, Sony stops fighting a price war alone. It moves upstream: software, visual experience, integration with cinema, gaming and content. TCL consolidates the brand, gains prestige, expands distribution. Accelerated polarisation. The insiders' question, however, is about the fate of Oleds. TCl never liked them. They probably won't disappear but will change roles. Mini-LEDs and evolved volume LCDs will grow in parallel. OLED becomes Formula 1: few, fast, iconic. The rest is championship.