With Smart TVs becoming the flavour of the season, firms like Samsung, LG and Sony are gearing up for aggressive promotions of latest television that offers a host of new features and interactive applications, including internet browsing.
The products, which are priced between Rs 43,000 and Rs 4 lakh are also becoming a platform which is making manufacturers to tie up with content providers to woo consumers.
"Basically, this year we are creating the market. We believe that 15 per cent of customers who are already using HDTV will gradually upgrade to Smart TV," a Samsung India spokesperson told PTI.
The company will be entering into a lot of tie-ups for content development, marketing and expects to soon roll out the advertisement campaign in a big way, she added.
"We are aggressively looking for promoting the segment," she said but declined to comment on budget earmarked to promote the Smart TV.
This year, out of a total of 15 lakh units of flat panel TVs expected to be sold this year, she said the firm is "looking at selling one lakh units of Smart TVs."
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Last year the company sold a total of around 750,000 units of flat panel TVs.
Similarly, Japanese consumer durables firm Sony Corp is also understood to be gearing up to launch a major advertisement campaign for its Smart TV.
The company, however, declined to confirm the development. Last year it had also launched internet TVs under its 'Bravia' series, where customers can access websites like YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo.Com among others.
Recently, Korean consumer durables major LG Electronics India Ltd also entered into the Smart TV space by rolling out its latest series.
"Eventually content is going to be the key differentiating factor for the consumer. Therefore, we have taken the lead in providing an excellent mix of global as well as India specific contents for our Smart TV buyers," LGEIL Managing Director Soon Kwon said.
LGEIL had tied up with NDTV, Indiatimes, Hungama, Zapak and Carwale to provide local contents ranging from music, movies and games, among others.
While the segment is still in a nascent stage in India, globally the Smart TV market is expanding and likely to touch 30 million units this year.
"While the smart category is relatively small compared to the large size of the Indian market, customers have responded well. What smartphone has done to the mobile industry, similar upgradation is also happening in the durables market as well," Giraj Sharma, who is Director with Noida-based consultancy firm Behind the Moon Consultancy said.