TCL Passes Samsung as the World's Number-Two TV Brand by Unit Shipments

TCL has overtaken Samsung as the world’s second-largest TV brand by unit shipments, according to Omdia’s full-year 2023 data. TCL shipped roughly 28 million TVs across all of its brands, ahead of Samsung at 26.5 million, with Samsung still leading in revenue thanks to its premium QLED and Neo QLED lineups. Hisense sits in third place at around 25 million units, and Skyworth in the high single digits.

Why it matters

Five years ago, the global TV market was a Samsung-and-LG duopoly at the top, with Sony holding a small premium share. The shift to Mini-LED backlighting has been a leveler: TCL, Hisense, and Skyworth all built Mini-LED panels in-house through their CSOT, Hisense Visual Technology, and BOE-affiliated panel arms, giving them a structural cost advantage that the Korean brands do not have. The result is that a 65-inch Mini-LED TV from TCL or Hisense now costs less than half of a 65-inch OLED from LG.

What is new

• TCL shipped 28 million TVs in 2023, ahead of Samsung at 26.5 million and Hisense at 25 million.
• TCL’s QD-Mini LED line was the top-selling premium TV line in North America by unit volume in 2023.
• Hisense’s ULED X and laser TV lines are now the strongest premium challengers, with laser TVs passing 30 percent global market share in their category.
• Skyworth’s OLED and Mini-LED lines remain the smallest of the three but are growing fastest in the 100-inch and above segment.

The collective effect is that Samsung, LG, and Sony are now defending the high end of the TV market against three Chinese brands that have matched them on display technology and undercut them on price.