Interestingly, restaurants, fast food joints and shopping malls are the biggest buyers of television sets this IPL season.
According to industry analysts, Kolkata has some 10,000 restaurants and fast food joints of which close to 25 per cent have invested in buying new LCD or flat panel televisions this season, in order to enhance footfall during the IPL matches.
More From This Section
Sales of single-television households are also up.
According to industry estimates, Kolkata has already bought over 2,000 television sets since April 18, since when IPL matches started.
Among consumer electronics companies, while Samsung has increased its focus on event marketing and have launched new range of LCDs and colour televisions, LG electronics is expecting at least a 25 per cent jump in colour television sales this summer.
According to R Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung India, "With the launch of our new range of LCDs and colour televisions, we expect to register 30 per cent sales growth in the second quarter starting April."
According to a spokesperson of LG Electronics, "Big-ticket sports events like cricket or football have always pushed up sales volumes. We are expecting around 25 per cent jump in colour television sales this summer, both in high and low-end models."
Restaurants and shopping malls are also putting up flat panels and LCDs in order to enhance footfall during big cricket matches and IPL being no different.
According to a spokesperson of Forum mall on Elgin Road, "We knew people would stay away during IPL matches if we could not offer them to see the matches. We therefore put up a LCD in a centrally located place inside the mall so people could watch cricket matches and also stay inside the mall for longer."
Consumer electronics retailers in Kolkata like E-zone and E-mall have witnessed sales of high-end models go up by 60 per cent, compared to the volumes during the corresponding period last year. The high-end purchases are usually for models priced at Rs 50,000 onwards.
The remaining is made up by sales of the lower-end flat panel colour televisions, priced at Rs 5,000 onwards.
"The bulk buyers are usually hotels and restaurants. However, single-TV households have also followed suit who are buying the low-end models of colour televisions," said the manager of Great Eastern on Esplanade in Kolkata.