World Cup gives TV sales a shot in the arm

KATHMANDU, June 18: Ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018 has given television sales a shot in the arm.

According to traders, television sales have more than doubled in recent days as fans are buying new television sets to watch matches of FIFA World Cup 2018 considered by many as the biggest sporting event in the world.

Talking to Republica, Aman Shrestha a retailer of household appliances at New Road, Kathmandu, said that sales of televisions have increased at a staggering rate from the beginning of this month. “Our weekly sales, which used to be five to six units, have jumped to 12 to 15 units now,” he added.

According to television sellers, Sony, Samsung and LG are the top selling television brands in the country. Moreover, local retailers and authorized dealers of televisions alike agree to the fact that that the most common type of televisions are Full-HD Smart Television ranging from 43 to 65 inches, said Purushottam Bhandari, sales manager of CG Electronics -- the authorized distributor of LG products. “Television sales have doubled. Demand for LG has increased to about 8,000 units per month compared 4,000 units per month in normal times,” he added.

Although Nepali customers also want to buy premium quality televisions with Ultra High-Definition (HD) picture quality like LG's flagship Organic LED Televisions, they are more inclined to Full HD Smart Televisions as cable operators here do not provide ultra HD contents, he added.

According to Bhandari, Nepalis are generally buying television priced between average of Rs 65,000 and Rs 100,000.

Seconding Bhandari's claim, Jenny GC, assistant manager of Samsung Plaza, said: “Televisions sales are picking up as the World Cup has only just begun. We expect sales to hit peak as the defining matches such as semis and final of the tournament approach.”

According to GC, household consumers generally buy TV sets between 43 and 55 inches, while commercial consumers like hotels and restaurants go for larger screens. “The demand for recently-launched 65, 72 and 82 inches Samsung TV sets is high among commercial consumers. The 82-inch variant costs Rs 1.1 million,” she said, adding: “Although this seems a lot, we have been offering the set at a discounted price of around Rs 800,000.”

Rajendra Shrestha, who was in New Road on Sunday trying to strike a deal with retailers, said that he was looking to buy a 43-inch television so that he can enjoy World Cup matches in a bigger screen. “I am currently using CRT television. However, as better picture quality is available on LED televisions, I am trying to purchase LED TV for this World Cup,” he added.

Another customer in his 20s, who refused to unveil his identity, said: “I would otherwise livestream sporting events through the Internet. However, this does not seem possible in case of World Cup. So, I am obliged to purchase a TV set.”