By Mark Seavy

Chinese OEM suppliers, long consigned to contract manufacturing in the consumer electronics (CE) supply chain, are adding a branded presence via licensing.

The shift for OEMs is not so much a change in business strategy as it is a way to add or potentially exploit a new revenue stream as licensed brands become available.

For example, HKC Corp., a supplier of LCDs for TVs and IT monitors, and of power supplies for consumer electronics and  industrial applications, signed a licensing agreement with Established Inc. for the RCA brand. It will be delivering products to Walmart starting in Q3, replacing City of Industry, CA-based Treasure Creek.

The changeover coincides with Established Inc.’s acquisition of Technicolor-owned brands starting with RCA in 2022 (accessories were added in 2024), followed by Thomson (2023), Saba and Schneider (2024) and finally Technicolor itself last year. has been an RCA licensee in the past for TVs, but now is using the Proscan label. Proscan was launched in the early 1990s as a premium brand for Thomson Consumer Electronics.

Wholesale closeout distributor Kole Imports, meanwhile, said last week it had acquired the Craig brand from Craig Electronics, with plans to introduce an expanded product lineup in 2027. Product plans weren’t disclosed, but Craig has a long history across portable devices, TVs and accessories. At the same time, CE brands have potentially been freed up as their licensees struggle.

Turkish CE supplier Vestel Elektronik, which has several licenses for TVs, including Telefunken and JVC, has been struggling financially and hired the financial firm Houlihan Lokey as it sought to restructure more than $500 in debt. Vestel’s Q1 revenues plunged nearly 50% in lira terms, and  the company’s losses have continued amid intensifying Chinese competition in Europe. After posting $71 million in profit in 2023, Vestel reported net losses of $408 million and $761 million for 2024 and 2025, respectively. Vestel has licensed the Telefunken brand for TVs in Europe for nearly 20 years, but the agreement is expected to expire this year, licensing industry executives said, as is the agreement for  JVCKenwood’s JVC label.

At the same time, Austria-based StreamView, a licensee of Established’s Thomson brand for TVs in Europe, filed for bankruptcy in April after failing to pay its Chinese suppliers. Established has been seeking a new licensee for Europe.

The changes in Europe come as Chinese suppliers like Hisense, TCL and Haier have emerged to dominate the U.S. market along with the likes of South Korean suppliers Samsung and LG Electronics. In doing so, the Chinese manufacturers have replaced the likes of Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi and Philips, all of which have shifted to licensing their brands.

“Chinese players have come in a big way as a serious disruptor for the U.S. market by being able to bring TVs in at prices cheaper than other manufacturers,” said Jason Sutton, Executive Director at Established Inc. “It is a battle between Chinese TV brands which several years ago they didn’t mean anything to consumers and now in some cases have giant billboards. Many OEMs are embracing a license because they know there are already consumers built in with knowledge and trust for a brand and that can make it an easy sell.”