What They Say

Nikkei reports that Sharp will re-enter the US TV market in the spring of 2022 with a range of 50″ to 75″ LCD TVs built around the Roku OS and assembled by Foxconn in Mexico.

What We Think

When Sharp was not controlled by Foxconn, it did a deal to license the brand name to Hisense. When Foxconn took over, the firms fell out and got into a legal battle that was dropped in 2019. The firm always said it would re-enter the US market again. In Europe, the firm solved the licensing problem by buying the small firm that was licensing the brand.

The Aquos TV brand was very strong as a premium brand at one time, but it’s not clear that under Foxconn it can really compete with Samsung, Sony and LG and is more likely to compete against the better Chinese brands. The firm has focused strongly on 8K over recent years and may try to compete with Samsung in that segment. With TCL apparently looking to reduce its reliance on Roku, this could be an opportunity for Sharp. (BR)

Sharp at CES in 2019