After terminating a brand licensing agreement with China's Hisense, Sharp is planning to re-enter the US TV market under leadership by Foxconn, according to a report by Nikkei.
Sharp Roku TVs
Sharp is planning to sell 50- to 75-inch LCD TVs with 4K resolution and Roku OS that will provide access to streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.
The TVs will launch in spring 2022, according to the report, which probably means that they will be announced at CES 2022 in January. The TVs will be made on a Mexican plant run by parent company Foxconn.
These TVs are depicted on Sharp USA's TV website but it's unclear if this is the final design
Sharp was a big TV brand in the US, Europe, Asia and elsewhere 10 to 20 years ago, but due to financial woes the Japanese company was forced to pull out of the European TV market in 2014 and North America in 2015. In the US, it licensed the Sharp TV brand to China's Hisense.
The licensing deal with Hisense officially ended in 2019 after Sharp had publicly accused Hisense of damaging the Sharp brand a couple of years prior.
In its home market of Japan, Sharp is also selling OLED TVs but it appears that the company will focus exclusively on Roku-based 4K LCD TVs at re-launch in the US.
- Source: Nikkei Asia
