South Korean media: The rise of Chinese television, Samsung's 20-year dominance is shaken!
On November 8, the South Korean media "Global Economy" published an article stating that Samsung Electronics has dominated the global television market for nearly two decades, and now there are signs of its dominant position being shaken. It is expected that Samsung Electronics' global television market share will fall below 30% in 2025, while Chinese television manufacturers led by TCL and Hisense are growing rapidly, threatening its leadership. The core of this trend is Mini LED television, which has become the next-generation display. With the total shipment of Mini LED televisions surpassing OLED televisions, the battle for global television supremacy has entered a new stage.
In the first half of 2025, TCL and Hisense successfully narrowed the gap with Samsung Electronics in global television shipments to about 3 million units. This rapid growth is attributed to Mini LED televisions, which have become the key technology in the premium television market. While Korean companies focus on OLED televisions, Chinese companies have recognized the potential of Mini LED televisions and adopted a strategy to dominate the market, which has proven to be effective. In fact, both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have focused on OLED television technology, but due to the rapid popularity of large Mini LED television models, they cannot avoid a decline in market share.
This change is driven by the Chinese domestic market. According to data from market research company Sino Research, the penetration rate of Mini LED televisions in China reached 28.3% in the first half of 2025, with sales increasing by 3.2 times year-on-year. This is due to China's "trade-in" policy. Additionally, stable liquid crystal panel prices, cost reductions brought about by continuous technological innovation, and lower retail prices have collectively driven a surge in demand for Mini LED televisions. Driven by the enthusiastic market response, China's market launched 212 new Mini LED television models in the first half of 2025, an increase of 94.5% year-on-year. Driven by this, it is expected that the global shipment of Mini LED televisions will reach 11.5 million units in 2025, with an annual growth rate of as high as 50% to 67%.
The Chinese Mini LED television market is clearly dominated by a few domestic brands. As of the first half of 2025, the combined market share of four major manufacturers - Hisense, TCL, Skyworth, and Xiaomi - reached 93.1%.
The positions of international brands such as Samsung Electronics and Sony, which once dominated the Chinese premium television market, have significantly weakened. In the first half of 2025, these brands had limited model numbers, and their market share was only 2.6%, appearing helpless under the impact of local brands.
The rapid growth of the Chinese Mini LED television market is attributed to the cost management capabilities and scale economy achieved in the upstream supply chain. Combined with the active market expansion strategies of local brands, these factors have jointly driven the overall market growth. Driven by this, industry predictions suggest that the Mini LED television penetration rate in the Chinese market will reach 35.6% in 2025. The global television market penetration rate is also expected to approach 6.6%. Demand for OLED televisions is also growing steadily. However, looking solely at the growth trends in the premium market, Mini LED is more prominent.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848221921797132/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.