Several major smartphone manufacturers, such as Realme and OnePlus, entered the Smart TV market in India a couple of years ago. However, they had to exit from the TV business last year. On the other hand, Kodak and Thomson claim that they are still doing well in the country. They credit their success to their access to local resources and their understanding of the Indian consumer mindset. But why did OnePlus and Realme leave the TV market, and did their exit have any impact on the market?
Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO of Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), the brand licensee for Kodak, Thomson and Blaupunkt TVs in India, revealed why OnePlus and Realme exited the Indian TV market last year.
Marwah, said to The Mobile Indian, “No company can continue burning money for long. While they did use to cover up the loss through the profit made via the smartphone market, even that hasn’t been working for them and as they couldn’t bear the loss anymore, quitting was the only solution left to move back to profits”.
He further added, “Indian manufacturers are better equipped to understand the needs of Indian consumers compared to foreign manufacturers. Brands need to have their own manufacturing setup in India for sustainable growth in the market. Having one’s setup also helps in saving intermediary costs which further helps in controlled spending.”
Talking about market dynamics in different TV screen sizes Marwah said, “Kodak and Thompson would have phased out their 32-inch TV segment a while ago, but market pressures have forced them to continue offering them.” Sharing the reason behind this, he said, “If consumers can purchase a 42-inch TV for the same price as a 32-inch one, why would they settle for a smaller TV?”
In the past, we have tried to reach out to Realme and Oneplus to hear their side of the story about why they exited the TV business in India, but we didn’t get any response from them.
When comparing Realme and OnePlus, it was unexpected for OnePlus to exit the TV segment as they had made significant progress and established a good brand reputation for their TVs.