Global TV market leaders Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and LG Electronics (066570.KS) are set to challenge Japan’s Sony for bragging rights at the “TV Shootout 2026” in New York on the 18th (local time). After ceding the crown to Sony for two straight years, both South Korean companies are determined to reclaim the “King of TV” title and reaffirm their technological leadership in the premium segment.

The TV Shootout is an annual premium TV picture quality evaluation hosted by Value Electronics, a U.S. high-end AV specialty distributor. It is widely recognized as the most authoritative event for objectively verifying the picture quality performance of the year’s top-tier TVs. This year’s competition is particularly streamlined into a three-way battle between Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Sony, following Panasonic’s withdrawal from the U.S. premium market.

Samsung and LG Trail Sony for Two Years Amid Evaluation Controversy

While Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics firmly hold the top two spots in the global TV market by revenue, they have struggled recently at the TV Shootout. At the 2024 event, Samsung’s ‘Samsung S95D’ was criticized for oversaturated colors compared to the reference monitor, while its Mini LED model was flagged for blooming issues due to backlight response time problems. LG’s ‘LG G4’ also fell behind Sony, with reviewers noting crushed shadow detail in dark scenes.

The 2025 event followed a similar pattern. Sony’s OLED model, the ‘Bravia 8 II,’ clinched the overall victory by leveraging its SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) performance, while Samsung’s ‘Samsung S95F’ settled for second place due to excessively intense color saturation. Notably, despite featuring an anti-glare coating, it lost the top spot to Panasonic in the bright living room evaluation within the HDR category. LG’s ‘LG G5’ finished last due to color reproduction errors.

However, some industry observers argue these results stem from a disadvantageous evaluation methodology. Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief of U.S. tech publication The Verge, who served as a judge last year, wrote in a column that the competition evaluates how closely a TV’s picture quality matches that of the ‘Sony BVM-HX3110,’ a professional broadcast mastering monitor used as the reference display.

Patel noted, “There is criticism that Sony always has an advantage because the evaluation is based on a Sony monitor.” He analyzed that “Samsung’s colors tend to be somewhat oversaturated and more intense than the reference, while LG pursues a sharp, high-contrast picture preferred by the general public, which deviates from the reference standard and becomes a point deduction.”

Showdown in 65-inch OLED and 75-inch Micro RGB Categories

This year’s competition will be fought across two categories: OLED TV and RGB backlight LCD TV. In the 65-inch OLED TV category, Samsung’s ‘Samsung S95H’ and LG’s ‘LG G6’ will face off against Sony’s latest ‘Bravia 8 Mark II.’ The Samsung S95H has garnered high praise for its color volume, contrast ratio, and deep black expression, while the LG G6 is lauded for accurately rendering blacks and contrast even in bright environments while effectively reducing screen reflections.

The main battleground, however, is the 75-inch large-screen RGB backlight LCD category. Samsung is deploying the ‘Samsung R95H,’ and LG is fielding the ‘LG RGB95B’ to take on Sony’s ‘Bravia 9 II.’ The latest display technology, Micro RGB, is expected to be the decisive factor.

Robert Zohn, president of Value Electronics, stated, “The arrival of Micro RGB TVs is one of the most exciting developments in display technology in recent years.” With the backlight paradigm shifting, both companies’ algorithm control capabilities are seen as the key factor that will determine victory or defeat.

Sony-TCL Alliance Intensifies Premium Market Battle

The outcome of this competition is directly linked to future leadership in the global premium TV market. Sony’s TV division established a TV joint venture with China’s TCL in January, with full-scale operations set to begin in April 2027. Global credit rating agencies have forecast that this joint venture could threaten Samsung and LG’s premium market positions.

Significant synergies are expected from combining TCL’s massive manufacturing capacity—now the world’s second-largest by shipments—with Sony’s advanced picture quality processor chip technology. Concerns are mounting that the combination of China’s volume offensive, which has already dominated the mid-to-low-end market, with Sony’s brand power could narrow the foothold of South Korean premium TVs.

Consequently, Samsung and LG face the imperative of demonstrating overwhelming technological leadership at this TV Shootout.

Beyond RGB-Mini LED: Multi-Primary Backlight Race Intensifies

Meanwhile, the technological race surrounding RGB-Mini LED, the core technology of this year’s event, is accelerating. According to market research firms, global shipments of RGB-Mini LED TVs in 2026 are estimated at 300,000 to 500,000 units, with Hisense and TCL leading the pack, followed by Samsung, Sony, and LG.

Interestingly, even before RGB-Mini LED has fully penetrated the market, the industry is already aggressively developing multi-primary backlight technology. This push aims to overcome the limitations of RGB tri-color systems, which exhibit a spectral gap in the 480-500nm cyan wavelength band, causing colors to appear muddy and gradations to crush in scenes depicting skies or oceans.

Multi-primary backlights expand the traditional triangular color gamut into a polygon, enabling color reproduction closer to the BT.2020 standard while reducing the proportion of harmful blue light, thereby lessening eye fatigue during extended viewing. Hisense unveiled an ‘RGBC 4-primary backlight’ earlier this year, and in June announced ‘RGBX multi-primary display technology’ applying RGBC to both the panel and backlight, boosting the color gamut to over 130% of BT.2020. TCL’s display subsidiary, TCL CSOT, has also completed the technology demonstration stage for RGBC/RGBN approaches, while Skyworth plans to launch a new product featuring WRGB 4-color independent control technology in August.

However, multi-primary technology faces challenges: the epitaxial growth process for cyan LED chips is demanding, and each additional primary color complicates the driving circuitry and color calibration algorithms. Industry experts predict that while RGB-Mini LED technology will serve as a crucial stepping stone toward the Micro LED and large-screen era, multi-primary technology will likely develop in a complementary fashion rather than replacing RGB tri-color systems in the short term.

The global 4K UHD TV market is projected to grow to $119.73 billion (approximately ₩183.2 trillion) this year and is forecast to reach $675.64 billion (approximately ₩1,034 trillion) by 2035. With 61% of buyers preferring AI-based display technology and 61% prioritizing OLED or Mini LED technology, the picture quality battle is expected to intensify further.