Now that Hisense has licensed the Sharp name for branding TVs, the No. 1 TV brand in China aims to become the No. 3 TV vendor in the U.S., in both units and revenue, in short order.
“We plan on dramatically growing our business with both Hisense and Sharp brands this year,” asserted Mark Viken, the former Sharp executive now VP of marketing for Hisense USA. “We plan aggressive moves to make our brand more visible to consumers. Leading the U.S. market is a top priority for Hisense.”
Aside from widened brand awareness activities such as its expanded NASCAR sponsorship, it looks as if part of Hisense’s strategy is predicated on pure volume. In the first half of 2016, Hisense will flood the market with 22 new 720p, FullHD and UHD HDR models under its own brand name, along with 25 720p, HD and UHD models measuring 32 to 75 inches under its premium Sharp label.
Hisense’s other aggressive method is price. “We will challenge the market to make HDR UHD affordable,” explained Chris Porter, Hisense’s director of product marketing. Exhibit A in this inexpensive effort is the company’s entry-level 43-inch H7 UHD HDR mode, which will retail for less than $400, while its top-of-the-line H10 curved second-generation ULED 65-inch curved model will sell for less than $3,000, the only Hisense-branded 2016 model priced higher than $1,000.
Hisense will soon start selling four series of UHD TVs, all of which will include HDR and HDMI 2.0a jacks: the H7 series 43- (43H7C, $399), 50- (50H7C, $549), 55- (55H7C, $649) and 65-inch (65H7C, $1,299), all available in February; the H8 series 50- (50H8C, $599) and 55-inch (55H8C, $699), both April delivery; the H9 series 55-inch first generation ULED (55H9B, $999.99, February); and, the H10 series 65-inch curved, quantum dot, second-generation ULED (65H10C, $2,799, H2).
Sharp’s new smart 2016 Aquos models include: the standard smart N600U series LC-43N6100U ($499), the 50-inch LC-50N7000U ($699); the 55-inch LC-55N7000U ($799); the Aquos N7000U series 60-inch LC-60N7000U ($1,199); and, 65-inch LC-65N7000U ($1,499); the N8000U series 75-inch 75N8000U ($2,999); the Aquos N8100U series 70-inch LC-70N8100U ($2,299); the Aquos N9000U series 65-inch curved LC-65N9000U ($2,999); and, the top-of-the-line Aquos N9100U-series 70-inch ($3,299)
