Samsung goes large with 75-inch smart TV Confident of selling 1,000 units of the Rs.7.5 lakh TV in a year

Samsung goes large with 75-inch smart TV

Confident of selling 1,000 units of the Rs.7.5 lakh TV in a year

Samsung on Wednesday launched a 75-inch LED smart TV – the largest television available in India so far – as it looks to strengthen itself in a segment where it is currently the only player. The E series smart TV also marks the debut of the Korean electronics major’s latest 9 series in India, which runs till 14. Mahesh Krishnan, vice-president — consumer electronics, Samsung India, said, “The ES 9000 has new interactive features like face, voice and gesture recognition that eliminates the need for a remote control. It features 1,600 apps, 3D downloadable content and a smart evolution feature with upgradable kit.” The TV also lets the viewers check Facebook and play games on the large LED screen. Priced at `7.5 lakh, ES 9000 is the most expensive in Samsung’s smart TV range, which includes LED and plasma models priced between `37,700 and `273,000. Samsung is confident of selling a minimum of 1,000 units of the ES in the next 6-12 months. “While the LED market in India is growing at around 89%, Samsung’s LED growth is around 200%. Similarly, our flat panel TV growth is around 26% year on year as compared to the industry growth of 15%,” Krishnan said. Samsung has a 30% share of the flat panel market and a 37% share of the LED market in India. “We expect our LED sales to grow by 80% this year from 25% in the last. While smart TVs contributes 15-20% of our LED sales, with around 1 lakh units sold so far, we are expecting this number to double or treble this year.” Available at all major retail outlets in the country, especially for the festive season till November 30, Samsung is giving away a Samsung Galaxy Tab free with every smart TV, or allowing consumers to purchase a smart TV in 11 equated monthly installments. Samsung introduced smart TVs in India last year, which are camera and internet enabled and are able to sync with other wireless devices 2. It had introduced a 55 inch smart TV in May. Last year Samsung reported revenues of `20,000 crore across all segments, including consumer electronics, mobile and IT, which it expects to rise 25% this fiscal.