The Osaka-based company looks to roll out 50- to 75-inch liquid crystal display TVs with superhigh-definition 4K display.

The sets will be made at a Mexican plant run by Taiwanese parent Foxconn, the world’s leading contract electronics assembler, which is strong at keeping costs down.

The TVs will sell with Roku’s proprietary software installed, under a partnership between the companies.

The platform lets viewers watch shows on Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services.

When Sharp was bleeding red ink several years ago, the company reached a brand licencing agreement with Chinese home electronics maker Hisense that took effect in 2016.

The deal represented Sharp’s exit from selling TVs directly in the Americas.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, took over Sharp in August 2016.

Under the new management, Sharp moved to terminate the licencing agreement and ultimately filed a suit in a US court in 2017, claiming that Hisense was damaging the brand.

The two sides agreed to drop the case in 2018 and reached a settlement in 2019.

Sharp has long indicated its intent to reenter the US television market.

Samsung Electronics dominates the American market with a 37% share by value, according to 2020 data from US research firm DSCC.

Fellow South Korean maker LG Electronics ranks second at 15%, followed by China’s TCL at 9.7%.

Roku was founded in the US in 2002 and currently trades on the Nasdaq market.

The technology competes directly with Fire TV, developed by Amazon.com.

However, the stay-at-home demand fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic has begun to wane.

The American TV market is expected to flatten, and the industry is experiencing strong price competition.

Differentiating products based on functions and pricing will loom as a challenge.