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Panasonic quits retail TV market in Australia

Panasonic will no longer sell TVs in Australia "in light of current local market conditions."

Panasonic has announced it will no longer sell TVs in Australia, but will focus on other products and emerging areas.

Customer service will still be provided to all owners of current Panasonic TVs.

A statement follows:

Panasonic Australia has decided to withdraw from the Australian television market in 2020, in light of current local market conditions and to allow the company to focus on other established and emerging areas of the business.

Panasonic has informed our valued retail partners of this decision, and will continue to build on our strong and successful relationship with them as we work together to offer the diverse range of Panasonic products to Australian consumers.

Our current range of high-quality television models will continue to be sold via retailers in Australia while stocks last. Panasonic Australia will also continue to provide customer service to all owners of its television products. We will always put our customers first and provide the highest level of support.

This decision will not affect any other products in our Home AV range or any other categories, which remain available in Australia in 2020 and beyond.

We’re excited by what’s in store this year across our broad portfolio of consumer electronics and appliance categories – including our popular audio, video and LUMIX imaging products, our growing range of personal care and kitchen appliances, and our award winning air conditioning range, as well as our recently re-launched Technics premium audio brand.

Panasonic has been an industry leader in consumer electronics for more than 100 years and we are proud of the enduring success of our business in Australia. Panasonic will continue to evolve its portfolio of products and solutions to meet the needs of the Australian market.

18 Responses

  1. No one wants large TV’s anymore as everyone is watching streaming on their phones or iPads. It’s a shame as Panasonic has always been a reliable brand .

  2. Sad but not really surprising. I just replaced my 2008 Panasonic plasma with an OLED and noticed how few Panasonic TVs on display in any store. Also noticed people checking out the LGs & Samsung TVs only to go with cheaper brands. With many people 2nd screening / streaming onto smaller screens, the high end market is dramatically smaller. I don’t know of anyone interested in upgrading to 8k models, especially when most content is barely HD.

  3. Laurie summed it up best – as the marketplace has been flooded with TVs < $1000 that are getting bigger and better, less are winning to spend the extra $$$ for a brand name model. I've still got a Panasonic 50" (or 55") that's going strong, and would have had another if I didn't break the screen on it, but those were both from before the days where you could just go to Aldi or JB and get something the same size for half the price.

  4. Customers prefer the likes of Aldi TV @$700-$800 rather than quality products costing $$$$$$ its the same reason Pioneer left the market,their Kuro Plasma’s were the very best money can buy I know I have one and still today it looks just as good as any 4K TV

    1. I also still have my Pioneer Plasma TV. Yes you’re right, it’s picture quality is as good as, if not better than, any modern TV. Plasma TVs disappeared because they were so expensive to make and could not compete on price.

      1. An electronic product maker that’s not selling a flagship product-are they now a front for something else instead like the chicken restaurant chain in ‘Breaking Bad’?

  5. Not totally surprised as Panasonic had pulled TVs out of US market some time back.
    I was about to buy a current OLED series.. Wonderful products, sad to see them go.
    I bought several V series Plasma TVs back in the 00s

  6. I think Panasonic has been one of the best and professional television brands in the Australian market. The build quality & specifications are excellent. I remember the deciding reason I bought a Panasonic television in the past was because it was the only brand of television available at the time that had 16:9 overscan toggle setting to be able to see the full picture. I think many people will watch television & not realise they are actually missing out on some of the picture.

    Unfortunately, the television I bought became outdated after broadcast format changes resulted in missing channels. Other brands & models did seem to have more forethought at the time when it came to channel broadcast formats. There’s a lot of specifications that can be considered when buying a television.

  7. Panasonic have the best PVRs and some of the only ones with DVD drives. I was looking forward to a new Panasonic TV as the PVR and TV play so well together.

    1. Agreed, I bought a Blu-ray recorder with a triple tuner from Harvey Norman last month and installed it yesterday and it works perfectly with the existing Panasonic Viera Plasma TV which my family bought back in 2009.
      I was disappointed with Panasonic’s decision to stop selling TVs in Australia as it and Sony are the only brands to offer both HDR10 and Dolby Vision on their 4K TVs. Samsung 4K TVs only have HDR10+ while LG TVs only offer Dolby Vision.

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