Panasonic is gearing up for a TV comeback in 2027

With plans to keep OLED for premium models, continue video/audio development in Japan, launch larger TVs, add more miniLED LCDs, and scale up in partnership with Skyworth, Panasonic is ready to attempt a big comeback.

As you may recall, the two announced a strategic partnership in February 2026.

The original plan was to have it up and running from April, but it has taken longer than anticipated. The 2026 models are still not widely available and the Z85C OLED is no longer set to be widely distributed in Europe, so what is the status? And what can we expect from Panasonic TVs in the future?


Still Panasonic at the core
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, FlatpanelsHD met with Toshihiro Takagi (TV Product Planning) and Haruka Kono (TV Business Division) from Panasonic Corp. in Japan as well as Paul Darch (CEO) and Sebastian Wegielski (Managing Director) from Skyworth Europe, for an update on the revival of the Panasonic TV brand.

Flanked by Paul Williams (PR), these were all familiar faces that you will also have seen presenting Panasonic TVs in the past if you have been following the iconic TV brand from its plasma to its LCD and OLED days.

That is because Panasonic Corp. in Japan will continue to be involved, responsible for video and audio development, led by Toshihiro Takagi, as well as quality assurance, we were told by Paul Darch, while Skyworth will set up its European operations in Panasonic's existing office in Wiesbaden, Germany, to handle distribution and sales. Skyworth will also be responsible for production.


OLED stays
Paul Darch emphasized to FlatpanelsHD that "the reference stays the reference", meaning that OLED remains Panasonic's display technology of choice for high-end TVs.

Specifically, Panasonic Japan will be responsible for picture quality decisions, processing and tuning on these high-end models, as well as the picture-menu architecture and calibration options, confirmed Toshihiro Takagi.

It is comforting to get confirmation after Panasonic Europe (and USA) decided to skip the 2026 OLED flagship Z95C, which was launched in Japan with a second-generation tandem OLED panel. Instead, Z95B has carried over outside Japan.

Meanwhile, the broader lineup will be made up primarily of LCD models with a focus on miniLED and glare-free screens, with Skyworth seemingly having more influence here than on the high-end OLED models. We are already seeing more of these miniLED LCD models with the 2026 Panasonic TV lineup that will start rolling out in Europe this fall.

It is worth adding that Skyworth also focuses on OLED in its home market of China, unlike rivals such as Hisense and TCL.

Panasonic also announced a Z85C/Z86C budget OLED TV for 2026, but due to the delays, it will not be widely distributed. It is currently planned in small quantities for only a few countries in Europe this fall.


What 2027 holds for Panasonic
While Panasonic would not get into specifics about 2027, it confirmed to FlatpanelsHD that its TV division will have a presence at CES 2027 in January with 2027 TV models, denoted 'D' as follow-ups to this year's 'C' series. Panasonic Corp. as a whole will not attend CES 2027.

The 2027 lineup will be a continuation of the focus outlined for 2026, but Skyworth has pushed for bigger sizes, so fingers crossed for an 83-inch OLED and 98-100-inch or even larger LCD models with the Panasonic logo.

Panasonic will continue to offer TVs running different operating systems like Fire TV, Google TV and TiVo OS, depending on the market, the representatives confirmed to FlatpanelsHD.

 Also read: Panasonic recommits to US market, unveils 2026 TV lineup

Through this strategy, Panasonic and Skyworth are aiming for a top-5 position in Europe, where they will have to compete with the likes of Hisense, TCL, Samsung, LG, Sony and Philips. 

Panasonic is gearing up for a big TV comeback, so let's see where it takes them.