Strong growth in North America, Western Europe and emerging markets offsets sharp decline in China as brands pivot overseas and double down on premium TVs….
Global television shipments showed surprising resilience in the final quarter of 2025, holding flat year-on-year at 61.5 million units, even as demand in China, the world’s largest TV market contracted sharply.
According to the latest TV Sets (Emerging Technologies) Market Tracker: History – 4Q25 from Omdia, shipments in China plunged 25.3% compared to the same period a year earlier. The drop followed the expiration of government subsidy programs that had previously stimulated demand, with many consumers having already accelerated their upgrade cycles earlier in the year.
Yet while China cooled, the rest of the world picked up the slack.
Mature markets continued their expansion, with North America posting a 4.7% increase in shipments and Western Europe rising 3.2%. Even stronger momentum came from developing regions. Latin America & the Caribbean led global growth with a 12.5% surge, followed by the Middle East & Africa, which climbed 9.4%.
The shifting regional balance was evident in market rankings. Western Europe emerged as the second-largest TV market in the fourth quarter, while Asia & Oceania took third place, both overtaking China during the period.
Industry analysts say the performance reflects a strategic redirection by leading brands, particularly Chinese manufacturers, toward overseas markets to cushion the impact of weakening domestic demand.
Despite the slump at home, TCL and Hisense managed to grow their combined shipments by 2.2% year-on-year, buoyed by stronger international sales. Their footprint in North America expanded notably, with their combined shipment share climbing from 28.6% to 30.7%, even as regulatory compliance requirements in the United States became more stringent.
In North America, however, shipment growth did not fully translate into retail sell-through during the holiday season. Softer-than-expected consumer demand resulted in elevated inventory levels heading into the new year.
With China’s domestic appetite cooling rapidly, brands have increasingly redirected supply toward the U.S. and other overseas markets, wagering that demand for ultra-large “XXL” televisions will remain robust.
“Chinese brands have demonstrated remarkable agility in adjusting their growth strategies over the past year,” said Matthew Rubin, Principal Analyst for TV Set Research at Omdia. “While access to the U.S. market has become more complex, TCL and Hisense have reconfigured their supply chains to comply with new requirements. That flexibility comes at a cost, and profitability is becoming a sharper focus particularly as component expenses, including memory, continue to rise.”
Across the industry, premium models remain the primary engine of profitability.
Looking ahead, both TCL and Hisense are positioning Mini LED as the cornerstone of their premium portfolios over the coming years. But competition at the high end is intensifying. OLED shipments grew 8.6% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, with Western Europe, the largest OLED market globally advancing 11.5%.
The battle for high-spending consumers is expected to sharpen further as more RGB Mini LED televisions enter the market.
At CES 2026, TCL spotlighted Mini LED technology enhanced with Quantum Dot innovation as the flagship of its 2026 lineup, a clear signal that the premium TV race is far from settled.
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