CES 2026: Chinese Appliance Brands & Sports Marketing

[아이뉴스24 박지은 기자] Chinese home appliance companies met at CES 2026, which opened in Las Vegas, USA on the 6th (local time), were targeting the global market by putting sports marketing at the forefront as much as technological competition.

Large-scale sporting events, including the 2026 North and Central America World Cup to be held this summer, were the key events.

Hisense, a Chinese TV company, displayed a 116-inch RGB mini LED TV targeting the North and Central America World Cup to be held this summer. In the exhibition hall, a video of world-renowned soccer player Lionel Messi playing for the national team was shown, attracting the attention of visitors.

Hisense is a representative example of raising global awareness by sponsoring every World Cup over the past 10 years. During the competition, the phrase ‘World’s No. 1 Hisense’ was repeatedly displayed on the stadium electronic display and broadcast screen, thereby imprinting the brand’s presence.

At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, controversy arose when phrases such as “China comes first, the world comes second” and “Global No. 2 Hisense” were placed on stadium billboards.

According to global market share data, Hisense claimed to be “second in the world” even though it was ranked fourth in global TV sales at the time, following Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and TCL. Hisense later replaced the phrase with “Let’s work together to manufacture in China.”

At a media event held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on the 5th, a Hisense official said, “According to an internal survey, approximately 40% of American sports fans responded that they feel a sense of belonging as part of a community through watching soccer,” and added, “This North and Central America World Cup will be the third consecutive time Hisense has sponsored the FIFA World Cup.”

China’s TCL, which has established itself as a global TV brand, also has a clear sports color. One side of the exhibition hall was decorated with a football stadium concept and the official partnership with National Football League (NFL) was emphasized. TCL is making efforts to target the North American market by sponsoring popular teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, LA Chargers, and Atlanta Falcons.

In the electronics industry, sports marketing is said to have been effective in helping TCL quickly increase its market share in the U.S. TV market. According to market research firm Omdia, TCL’s market share in the U.S. TV market in the first quarter of last year ranked third with 10.9%. Although there is a gap with first place Samsung Electronics (21.6%), it is on par with the American domestic brand VIZIO (11.9%).

At this year’s CES, Chinese companies’ sports marketing reached its peak in Lenovo’s Sphere keynote speech.

This is because Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), appeared on stage for Lenovo Chairman Yang Yuanqing’s keynote speech.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that he would use Lenovo’s ‘Potball AI Pro’ solution to increase the precision of game analysis at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. Both sides also revealed plans to release the ‘Motorola Razr World Cup Edition’ smartphone.

Chinese home appliance company Changhong also put sports stars at the forefront. A large photo of German ski jumper Andreas Bellinger was hung in the CES exhibition hall, and the strategy to strengthen the image of premium TVs and home appliances targeting the European market was emphasized.

The industry is analyzing that this sports marketing strategy of Chinese home appliance companies is similar to the way Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics developed their brands in the global market in the past.

Samsung Electronics has raised its global awareness by focusing on sponsoring the Olympics and European soccer leagues since the early 2000s, and LG Electronics has also strengthened its TV and home appliance brand image through large-scale sports events such as European soccer and F1. Samsung Electronics’ sponsorship of the English Premier League soccer team ‘Chelsea’ is an example that received so much attention that it was talked about until recently.

An official from the electronics industry said, “Chinese companies are benchmarking the success equation that Korean companies, which rose to become the world’s first and second largest TV manufacturers, established from the 2000s to the 2010s.” He added, “As the technology gap has narrowed, the global sports stage is the fastest way to make a brand known.”