Television sales during the cricket extravaganza are expected to grow by around 100% according to industry estimates.
Guess who is eagerly waiting for February 19, the day the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks-off? Besides the avid cricket fans across the country and world, consumer electronic companies too are keenly waiting for the start of the quadrennial event, which is expected to give a big boost to TV sales.
According to industry estimates, Gujarat accounts for 6-7% share of the country's total TV market. In the state, TV sales during the world cup season are expected to grow by around 100% during the cricket season.
“We sell around 60,000 colour TVs and around 25,000 flat panel displays in Gujarat every month. We are expecting a growth of more than 200% in the consumer electronics category in the state during the world cup season,” said Anil Arora, chief marketing officer, consumer electronics & household appliances, Videocon.
Samsung India is also expecting a 100% jump in sales of flat panel TVs during the World Cup. “We are looking at doubling our sales in Gujarat during the cricket season, even as we expect to sell 6-6.5 lakh flat panel TVs in the country,” said R Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung India.
However, a lot would also depend on the Indian team's performance in the tournament. These companies will be hoping that India does well in the World Cup, as the team's early exit from the tournament could play spoilsport for the fans and also wreck their sales projections.
“There is no doubt that performance of the Indian team is very crucial. The interest in the World Cup would diminish greatly if the team does not perform up to the mark. However, if the team does well and reaches the later stages of the World Cup, electronics manufacturers could strike gold by way of a big boost to TV sales,” said an official of another consumer electronics company.
MIRC Electronics, which sells consumer electronics under the brand name Onida, is also eyeing strong sales during the cricket World Cup. “We are expecting sales to rise by 40% during the current quarter. There are many houses who will be buying a TV set for the first time just to watch the World Cup at home. At the same time, many families who own 14-inch TVs will upgrade to bigger sized TVs or for flat panel TVs,” said K Sriram, VP, sales marketing & services, MIRC Electronics.
Panasonic, another leading brand of consumer electronics, is also expecting big sales. “We are looking at achieving 30% of annual sales during this season. We are expecting TV sales to the tune of Rs300 crore in the current quarter,” said Manish Sharma, director, marketing, Panasonic India.
The consumer electronics manufacturers have also come up with various lucrative schemes and offers to attract potential customers when cricket fever will be at its peak.
Companies offering direct to home (DTH) services are also expecting a rise in sales in the World Cup season. “Gujarat is a big, cricket loving state and we are expecting good sales of DTH services for the cricket World Cup. We are expecting sales to rise by 50%,” said Umesh Rao, senior vice president & chief marketing officer, Reliance Digital TV.
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