Mutterings that Panasonic could sell its TV business have begun spreading, thanks to a comment made by the company's president, Yuki Kusumi. According to a report by Nikkei Asia (via FlatpanelsHD) Kusumi reportedly stated "we are prepared to sell it if necessary, but we have not yet decided on a plan" in an earnings call.
The company has supposedly identified its TV division as one of its underperforming sectors, alongside appliances, mechatronics, and industrial devices. While no prospective buyers have been identified yet, Panasonic claims that it will take "drastic measures" by the end of fiscal year 2026 to ensure it returns to profitability.
As for now, it's all up in the air for Panasonic by the sounds of things. Nothing can be confirmed or denied, but we can speculate what the future holds for Panasonic TVs. Ultimately, the company already outsources the production of its entry-level and mid-range backlit TVs to the likes of Vestel and TCL, so it's possible that not much would change. However, looking towards the higher-end segment of Panasonic's lineup, we have its flagship OLED sets.
It would be a shame to see Panasonic's prestigious line of OLEDs fall into the wrong hands, as frankly speaking they're some of the best (if not the best) TVs on the market. We need a company to take over that acknowledges its premium position within the market and won't compromise on Panasonic's penchant for squeezing the best out of the hardware available.
That's why I would nominate Apple, which might not seem like the obvious choice; but hear me out. My fellow AV-obsessed colleagues have wished Apple would develop a TV before, and this could be a match made in heaven, as Panasonic and Apple share a variety of qualities. They both position their respective products towards the premium sector of the market, and both have a history of striving for excellence with their respective AV products.
It could be said that Apple was ahead of the curve with the latest OLED innovation. Tandem OLED, featured on the most recent iPad Pro M4, which earned the coveted Innovation of the Year Award in 2024, and many TV manufacturers (including Panasonic) have just debuted TVs sporting Primary RGB Tandem OLED panels. While the technology isn't identical, the philosophy of experimenting with stacking OLED layers to enhance brightness and colour vibrancy is pretty similar.
Suppose Apple kept Panasonic's picture tuning ethos and swapped Fire TV out for the brilliant (and advertisement-light) tvOS software which features on its Award-winning Apple TV 4K. In that case, I personally believe Apple would be untouchable in the TV space. Perhaps not affordable, but the mixture of Panasonic's AV pedigree and Apple's software smarts could be game-changing.
However, while it's nice to dream, I am ultimately a realist. The likelihood that Panasonic would go into business with Apple for future OLED TVs is very unlikely, especially when the company is already in cahoots with another technology superpower.
As part of Panasonic's recent return to the United States (after a decade-long hiatus), it partnered with Amazon to handle distribution and to solve a software issue that many Panasonic TVs had suffered from in years gone by. Fire TV is the new official operating system of Panasonic, and while it's a major step up from Panasonic's My Home Screen system which skipped a few essential apps, it is rather cluttered.
Ultimately, it would make more sense for Panasonic to opt for Amazon to inherit its TV business, especially considering Amazon already has its own TV range including the Fire TV Omni QLED. However, if we're talking pure picture quality, then Apple is my pipe-dream pick to continue Panasonic's legacy.
We do have to remember that, at the end of the day, these are still rumours. Nothing has been confirmed and, as of now, Panasonic will continue to launch its upcoming 2025 TV range – which includes the spectacular-looking Z95B – later this year.
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