TV manufacturers unveiled AI-enhanced models at CES 2026 this week, aiming to counter smartphone dominance that has eroded traditional television viewing. Daily TV consumption dropped from 61% in 2017 to 48% last year while smartphone viewing nearly doubled to 21%, according to Ampere Analysis data.
Samsung Electronics, the top TV seller for 20 consecutive years, debuted what it called the world's first 130-inch Micro RGB television. The company announced plans to embed artificial intelligence across all products and services. "We will embed AI across every area, every product, and every service," Samsung device experience division chief executive TM Roh said during a media event.
Hisense, LG, Sony, and TCL also showcased AI-powered televisions at the Las Vegas event. The technology improves picture and sound quality while helping users find content and answer questions about programming. Micro RGB technology uses ultra-precise color control in LED displays to dramatically enhance picture quality.
"This is the battle between big screens, which are traditionally for older people who grew up around televisions, and younger people who have either a phone, tablet, or laptop on which they're doing their consumption," said Patrick Horner, leader of TV research at Omdia. He noted that in China, seen as a global trendsetter, young consumers increasingly prefer smartphones or tablets over large-screen televisions.
Global television ownership remains constant or declining, with average selling prices holding steady or dropping, according to Horner. Manufacturers now push larger, smarter screens at higher prices to maintain revenue as unit sales stagnate.
Behind the television hardware competition, Amazon and Walmart wage a separate battle for advertising and e-commerce dominance. Walmart completed a $2.3 billion acquisition of TV maker Vizio in late 2024, responding to Amazon's advertising strategy on Fire smart TVs and Prime Video streaming.
"This is really a knockdown, drag-out fight between Amazon.com and Walmart," Horner told AFP. "Amazon was putting advertisements on television programming for things that Amazon sold. So now Walmart is going to be putting advertisements on your television for things that Walmart sells."
Walmart expects to sell over one million of its Onn brand TVs monthly, using Vizio's operating system to deliver targeted advertising. Profit margins on advertising significantly exceed those from television hardware sales.
"Televisions are no longer about making profit from TV hardware," Horner said. "They're an ad delivery device being inserted into your living room to boost e-commerce sales."
Forrester principal analyst Thomas Husson expressed skepticism about the AI claims. "I am really curious to see if most brands at CES can actually prove their new AI devices live up to their claims," he said.
The Consumer Electronics Show demonstrations come exactly one century after Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated the first mechanical television system. Television manufacturers now face their most significant challenge from smartphones, which didn't exist during most of television's history.
