Sony is selling off its legendary TV division to TCL – what does this mean for Sony cameras?

Sony shocked brand loyalists yesterday when, in a statement, it said it was planning to sell a controlling share in its famed TV share to Chinese company TCL.

If Sony, the brand under nearly every broadcast monitor for decades, famed for its televisions, can sell off such a seemingly essential part of its business, than just what does that mean for photographers using Sony cameras?

In practice, the news might be a lot better than your initial reaction.

According to Sony's statement, serious discussions will get underway for the agreement in March with a view to operations beginning in 2027.

At the moment, Sony still produces arguably the best televisions money can buy – just look at the Bravia 8 II – but it has struggled to keep up with the market on price, facing competition from Samsung, LG and others.

Sony held a patent on the Trinitron technology during the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) era that helped it stay comfortably ahead of the competition, but now the market is price as well as tech sensitive.

However, in the statement, Sony isn't shy about mentioning TCL's "industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertical supply chain strength" – the new company that TCL & Sony will own will be expected to use Sony's tech and the Sony and Bravia brands, but make the prices more accessible.

What could that mean for camera consumers? Nothing at first. Cameras are not part of Sony's Home Entertainment division – TVs and related equipment, sound systems and the like is what is covered.

But it does highlight the idea that Sony is happy to part with iconic parts of its business, which might not be entirely reassuring. Sony's VAIO laptop brand was sold off in 2014, so there is precedent, too. That started with an announcement of a memorandum of understanding, though Sony took a much smaller stake in the Vaio new company.

For consumers, design will belong to the new merged business that owns the Sony brand.

On the one hand, that will likely help them deliver cheaper products, but will they hit the quality goals creators aim for?

This isn't the first time TCL has licensed a foreign brand to build its reputation outside China. In the past, it licensed BlackBerry for mobile devices. To be fair, that deal was in 2016 by which time I'd argue BlackBerry was already fighting a losing battle with the iPhone and Android, so by 2020, when TCL pulled the plug, that was fair enough.

With the display business in growth, it seems unlikely that TCL will end the Sony display business in four years.

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