The durables market leader would be selling the new television series only during the World Cup, which begins in West Indies on March 11.
Amitabh Tiwari, business group head, consumer electronics, told Business Standard, "The company would be launching a special series of 29-inch colour televisions with a limited edition of about 5,000-6,000 units. These sets would be available in select cities only during the World Cup."
LG Electronics is expected to introduce the series titled Willow and Cricket Series in the first week of March. The televisions, to be sold in metros and mini metros, would have some additional features other than the available models. Being the official partner of the cricket world cup, LG would be entitled to carry the official tag for the televisions that the company intends to carry on the cartons.
The Indian cricket team's recent wins against Sri Lanka and West Indies have infused optimism amongst the colour television manufacturers and traders in the country. "Initially the trade was not very optimistic about this year's cricket world cup. But the Indian team's recent victory has created a positive rub-off among the trade," he added and this was reflected in the January and February sales statistics. The colour television sales have registered 60 per cent growth.
"We expect the sales to pick up once the advertisement campaigns start rolling out," Tiwari said.
LG is expecting a bulk of the colour television sales to come from the entry level and high-end products. During January and February, the company witnessed 91 per cent jump in 29-inch television sales while at the lower end, 21 inch flat televisions recorded 23 per cent growth.
With an eye on the upcoming world cup, LG is also planning to launch 21-inch flat models to tap the consumer upgrading from the conventional televisions. In 2006, roughly 1.5 crore (15 million) television sets were sold in India. The market size is expected to touch 1.25 crore (12.5 million) sets this year.
