Where Are Toshiba TVs Made?

In recent years, there has been a large amount of focus on where items like smart devices are manufactured. This is due to a few established electronics brands selling the production rights to smaller companies. Toshiba was previously manufactured in North America, but the company has sold the production rights to other manufacturers. Where are Toshiba brand TVs made now?  

Toshiba stopped manufacturing TVs in North America in 2015. All televisions made after 2015 bearing the Toshiba brand are made by other companies around the world. To find out where a specific model was manufactured, you need to find out which company had manufacturing rights when the TV was made. 

Since Toshiba TVs have changed hands twice since 2015, finding out where your specific model was made is going to be a bit tricker than we thought. To do that, we need to figure out who Toshiba sold production rights to. Then, we can find the underlying cause of where your TV was made! 

Which Toshiba TVs Were Made By Hisense?  

Hisense purchased the production, sales, and research and development rights for Toshiba TVs on November 14, 2017. All Toshiba TV models made on or after the year 2018 were manufactured by Hisense in China. Hisense retains the right to manufacture TVs under the Toshiba brand name for 40 years. 

In Russia, China, and Japan, Toshiba manufactured and sold TVs under their brand Toshiba Visual Solutions until the 2018 sale to Hisense.  

Which Toshiba TV Models Were Made By Compal? 

In July of 2015, Toshiba stopped manufacturing TVs and the Taiwan-based company Compal began making them. All TVs before that date were manufactured in Mexico for sales in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Toshiba TV models made after 2016 were manufactured in Taiwan. 

Toshiba Europe TVs  

Between 2015-2021, Toshiba TVs were also manufactured in an outsourcing scheme under a licensing agreement under the subsidiary company named Vestal. While production rights are licensed for thirty different countries, these TVs were exclusively sold in Europe. 

 As multiple models could have been made at any manufacturing location, the specific model and serial number are needed to determine exactly where a specific TV was made.  

Why Did Toshiba Stop Making TVs?  

In the past, manufacturing TVs was limited to major brands with well-known names, like Toshiba and RCA. However, after 2010, the economic landscape of production changed drastically, allowing smaller companies better access to the components needed to make TVs. This caused companies like Toshiba to decide that manufacturing TVs was no longer cost-effective.

Outsourcing production to another company was a decision that many well-known companies like Toshiba made. It helps them have affordable, quality TVs.  

Selling the production rights to smaller manufacturers allowed Toshiba to retain a modest market share while focusing on more profitable products. In turn, the smaller manufacturer gained the trusted brand name and reputation, which increased sales. Since consumers prefer to purchase brands they trust, retaining the Toshiba brand name retained those sales.  

Not All Toshiba TVs Are Equal  

Consumer Reports has stated that though the name on the front of your TV is a trusted brand, it is more important to investigate the company that made the TV. Knowing who currently makes your TV matters for many reasons that you might not consider.  

The factors to consider when purchasing a TV from a licensed manufacturer rather than a brand manufacturer include:  

• Warranties And Guarantees: The brand you purchase may include different guarantees or warranty periods than the licensed manufacturer, usually for shorter periods 
• Repairs Or Replacements: If your TV is damaged or requires repairs, the licensed manufacturer may not honor agreements offered by the brand, particularly if those repairs or replacements involve shipping overseas.  
• Product Quality: In some cases, TVs made by a licensed manufacturer instead of the original company are of lesser quality. Additionally, there is a higher risk of receiving a TV with lower quality components.  

While these factors are important considerations, in the case of Toshiba TVs made by Hisense and Compal are an excellent value for the price by many consumers regardless of who made them.  

Conclusion 

When buying home electronics, brands that stand the test of time are often the ones we trust the most. That is why it can be disconcerting to find out that the brand of TV you have purchased for many years is now made by another company. As smart consumers, we want to know where our products are made, and manufacturing changes can cause confusion.  

In this article, we found the underlying cause of things by finding out the dates Toshiba TVs were manufactured in North America, Taiwan, and where they are made today. We have also provided exactly how to find the date your TV was made, With this information, finding out where your Toshiba TV was made is a simple matter of checking the year!