With bigger screens, sales of TV sets picking up

Around 1.6 million televisions were sold in 2019, 8% higher than in 2018


Usman Hanif February 23, 2020
Representational image. PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: Against the general impression that TVs are vanishing as mobile phones are becoming widely accessible for the general public, TV sets still remain a widely sold product in the electronics market.

The growth in sales of TVs in Pakistan is picking up as people are leaning towards installing bigger screens on walls in their homes.

“Last year, the retail market registered sales of around 1.6 million televisions, which was 8% higher than in 2018,” said Hisense Pakistan CEO Imran Ghani.

Hisense TVs were launched in August 2018 in Pakistan and according to the company it captured 5% market share in the very first year.

In rural areas of Pakistan, where 135 million out of the total population of 210 million reside, people are still using old-fashioned thick TVs called cathode-ray tube (CRT) but in urban areas, the trend is rapidly changing.

The trend in major cities moved initially from CRT TVs to LCDs (liquid crystal display) and then to LEDs (light emitting diode). Now, an urban consumer can choose from a range of TVs such as 3D and smart TVs.

“When the company decided to set up its production plant in Pakistan, our parent company was uncertain whether standards of the company would be met or not,” said the CEO. “However, we went forward and started local production, which yielded desired results.”

He elaborated that the progress achieved in Pakistan market was on a par with the company’s production in China and other countries.

The CEO recalled that when the company began operations, it had just 100 employees, which increased to 220 at present. By the end of this year, the company expects to raise the number of employees to over 300.

“With incomes increasing in the country, people are keen to display latest TV sets on their walls,” he said. The company’s target market is high-end users, hence its largest TV, measuring 100 inches, is priced at Rs1.3 million.

“There will be very few people in Pakistan who buy such large screens,” he said. “Nevertheless, success of huge screens will attract customers for the company’s regular-sized TVs as well.”

Demand for TV sets in Pakistan is so high that there are dozens of counterfeit products being sold under the name of renowned brands, he alleged.

The official urged the government to take steps to remove fake products from the market as they hurt the legitimate business as well as dented government revenue.

“When we researched Pakistan’s market, we saw that high-end brands in the country were losing sales to cheaper brands due to the peculiar psychology of customers who wanted the best thing at cheap rates,” he said.

He added that there were countless companies who attracted customers with cheaper prices while they did not focus on quality of their products.

Stating another strategy of the company, he said it intended to gain customers by generating video content as well adding that the parent company had produced an application akin to Netflix, which helped retain customers in the long term. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2020.

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