Simple: Funai bought the North American TV operations of Philips a while back, and this year started selling its Philips-branded tellies there on a large scale, through mass-market retailers/online sellers such as Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.
The move is doubly clever: the brand-recognition is expected to grow Philips sales to account for 40% of the 5.4m TVs Funai expects to sell in the current financial year, while the cachet of the Philips names means the company can sell those TVs at higher prices.
Brand premium
Around $400 for a basic 32in Philips TV, rather than $350 for an equivalent Funai-branded model, makes very solid financial sense for the company, and the consumers are still getting bargains: how about well under £600 for Full HD Pixel Plus 3 HD-equipped 47in Philips TV?
And the bargain-priced sets, sold through mass outlets, have come at just the right time: as one industry analyst puts it "Even people driving Mercedes are shopping at Wal-Mart these days".