Domestic distributors of various brands of consumer electronics have lined up a new range of televisions for launch in a bid to boost sales during the coming festive season.

Traders said that TV sales had slowed after the earthquake but were now on the road to recovery. Samsung will roll out its super ultra HD (SUHD) in the domestic market next month. Likewise, Sony plans to unveil the new Bravia Android series and Toshiba will be launching its new curved TV this month.

Sony’s authorised distributor in Nepal, Nepal Hima Trade Link, said that it would roll out six new smart Bravia LED televisions that run on the Android-based Lollipop 5.0 operating system. The new models come in sizes ranging from 43 inches to 75 inches. The company is yet to fix prices. Subash Shrestha, head of sales and marketing at the company, said that they would cost more than Rs140,000.

Shrestha said that these models would help them to regain the lost market after the disaster. “The market for televisions, especially those in the premium segment, has been down for the last few months. But we hope that we will achieve growth during the upcoming festive season,” he said, adding that the new televisions would also enhance Sony’s market share in the domestic market.

According to the company, the new televisions have a slim body and feature 4K and 3D. As they run on Android OS, they offer a number of TV apps from the Google Play Store. They also feature Voice Search, Google Cast (Chrome-cast like streaming) and connectivity with accessories. Meanwhile, Samsung Nepal said that it was all set to roll out the SUHD TV range before the start of the festive season. The TV runs on Tizen operating system and features an outstanding viewing experience with sensational picture quality,

seamless interaction and ultra-stylish design. The company is yet to announce the price of the new TV range.

“Sales of ultra HD, 3D, 4K and curved televisions are gradually increasing in the domestic market,” said Ganesh Raj Pandey, sales manager of Him Electronics, the authorised distributor of Samsung in the domestic market. According to him, the market for premium Curved, UHD and 4K TVs is around 10 percent of the total TV market and is gradually increasing.

Likewise, CG EOL, the authorised distributor of TCL in Nepal, will launch the Smart Curved LED TV by September. “We are not looking at volume sales with this TV, but it will surely increase our brand value,” said Lalit Mishra, sales manager at the

company.

The Curved TV has a 55-inch screen and runs on Android Kitkat 4.4 operating system. It features full HD, inbuilt Wi-Fi, Ethernet network and integrated speakers. The TV comes pre-installed with apps like YouTube, media centre, webpage browser and message box, among others.