BPL Ltd, the country's largest electronics and white goods manufacturer, has launched a 42-inch plasma television carrying a price tag of Rs 14.5 lakh.
The set, called Spheros, is part of the Loewe brand of televisions, manufactured by the German-based Loewe AG.
Launching the Loewe brand of television sets, Ajay Baijal, BPL Ltd's senior vice president and head of entertainment electronics business group told newspersons that the models have state-of-the-art technology with upgrade features like Dolby Digital, multimedia and wireless audio.
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Baijal said BPL Telecom Ltd has provided software for these models. He said the cheapest model available in this range is around Rs 80,000. All the models carry a duty of around 60 per cent.
They will be available in a range of six models with screen sizes ranging from 29 inch to 33 inch.
The range comprises television with pure flat tubes, superflat tubes and conventional tubes. "It is an infotainment platform with innovative technology," he said.
Baijal said Loewe television model has been displayed at the Museum of Modern Arts in New York. He said the high-end market for television sets was around Rs 200 crore - Rs 300 crore out of the total market size of Rs 10,000 crore.
He said the company expects to sell around 1,000 sets of Loewe brands every year, while the Spheros brand is expected to sell between 5 to 10 sets.
BPL Ltd has already chalked out a growth strategy for its entertainment electronics business which will see its CTV division not only retain its leadership position but also grow its share in the market.
These moves will be backed by an extremely aggressive brand campaign which will see adspend of around Rs 60 crore during the current year.
BPL's overall market share as per ORG for the first quarter of 2001-02 is around 19 per cent which is expected to grow to around 21 per cent within a few years.
While BPL has maintained its leadership position in the CTV market across all screen-size segments as per ORG, the industry itself has seen a decline by as much as 10 per cent during the first quarter of 2001-02.
As per ORG, secondary sales for April and May 2001 has grown by 7.1 per cent and average prices have declined further with sales coming primarily from the 14 inch, 20 inch and the lower end 21 inch segments.