Rage against the machine: ‘You see the five bullet holes in this set?’

Pakistan’s loss to India in its first World Cup game causes slump in TV sales, increase in repairs.

PESHAWAR: A Pakistan-India match is never 'just' a game. In fact, it’s almost always a matter of life and death, even for the television set it's watched on.

“You see the five [bullet] holes in this set?” asks Bahadaur Khan, a shopkeeper at Shah Shopping Centre in Karkhano Market. “My cousin fired at this set when Pakistan lost the match,” he adds, pointing to a 52-inch LED TV lying upside down under a shelf  in his shop.  He says one of his fellow shopkeepers was so infuriated that he dropped a TV set from the first storey of the same market. The World Cup is usually a good time for business as many households consider upgrading their television sets to catch their heroes in high definition. However, India’s comprehensive victory over Pakistan seems to have put those plans on hold. “On February 13 and 14, I was selling about eight to 10 sets a day,” says Amir Khan whose shop is at United Plaza. “I have only sold two TV sets today.”

Shah Shopping Centre and United Plaza are the two main places at Karkhano Market where television sets are sold. As if swallowing the bitter pill of defeat was not enough, shopkeepers are faced with a considerable slump in business.

“You just sprinkled salt on our wounds,” shopkeeper Asadullah says in response to a question on the impact of Pakistan’s defeat on sales. He has been in the business for 20 years and adds world cups always signal better days for their pockets.

“Pakistan should not have lost the match to India,” he says despondently.  “For me the match was way bigger than winning the World Cup.” Two days before the match, Asadullah’s shop was doing business of between Rs1.8 million to 2 million a day. His current daily sales stand at about Rs200,000. “Customers would clearly state they wanted a high definition LED TV to watch the World Cup matches. Now only those who buy sets for weddings visit the market.”

Bahadaur Khan echoes Abdullah’s view, saying the team’s performance is hurting their business. “Compared to the last World Cup, sales are hardly 50%,” he says, adding a day went by recently when he failed to sell a single set. “Business started very well, but the defeat to India had a negative impact. If Pakistan beats West Indies, perhaps sales will soar again,” Bahadur hopes, a day before the two teams were to face each other.

Talking about the sets available for customers, Amir Khan says LED TVs are the latest technology for this World Cup. He adds there are two types; branded and low cost Chinese-assembled versions.

“People usually go for branded LEDs because of their fine picture quality and longevity. However, those who cannot afford the original opt for the cheaper Chinese versions,” he says. The shopkeeper reveals that since LEDs have taken over the market, most of the supply comes from Karachi.

“LEDs are expensive and comparatively more sensitive to LCDs and older TV sets. Therefore, it is risky to bring stocks through the border due to deteriorating roads, the law and order situation as well as excessive checking by security forces.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2015.