Google TV’s future sounds a bit bleak even as TCL nears the crown

Ben Schoon | Jan 27 2026 - 10:55 am PT

A new overview of the global TV market reveals that TCL is nearing the crown for the world’s biggest TV brand, as it is about to surpass Samsung.

Samsung has been at the top of the global TV market for years, and once had a huge lead over everyone else, but that gap is closing. As reported by Counterpoint Research, the latest figures put Samsung in first place at 17% of the overall TV market in 2025, with TCL just barely behind at 16%.

For comparison, TCL made up just 13% of the global TV market in 2024, with Samsung making up 18%. In 2025, TCL’s shipments grew while nearly every other major brand fell.

Counterpoint says:

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TCL continued to expand its presence in the global TV market, narrowing the gap with market leader Samsung. Despite the continued sluggishness in the Chinese market, TCL’s global TV shipments surged 20% YoY, demonstrating the company’s growing competitiveness.

This news comes just after the bombshell announcement that TCL will be effectively taking over Sony’s TV business.

Sony is giving control of its TV business to TCL with new ‘strategic partnership’

This is especially notable for the Google TV platform, as TCL is not only the leading partner for Google’s living room efforts, but Google TV is also the primary platform TCL uses in global markets. You’ll find Roku-powered sets with TCL’s name on board from time to time, and the company also makes TVs for Amazon, but Google TV is the bulk of what it sells.

Despite that, Omdia paints a somewhat bleak picture for Google TV’s future.

In a report, the research firm notes that on the global market (excluding North America and China), Google TV is currently leading with 40% market share, but that’s set to drop as Vidaa, Titan, and TiVo are expected to grow over the next two years. That said, even through 2029, the report expects Google TV to command upwards of 35% of the market.

In North America, where Google TV share is already lower (around 10-13%, the report claims), Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio is said to rapidly push CastOS into the top spot while Amazon is also expected to continue growing Fire TV. Google TV in North America would drop to under 10%, the report forecasts.

What that report makes clear is that Google TV certainly isn’t a smash hit in the North American market, which is a place Google has certainly focused on the platform with features like Freeplay still exclusive to the US, but the platform is doing well internationally.