World Cup fails to score for TV makers

Kolkata: The FIFA World Cup has failed to deliver the sales boost India’s television makers have traditionally counted on during major sporting events. TV sales remained largely stagnant in June year-on-year, against the 15-25% jump the industry expects during such tournaments, according to manufacturers, retailers and market researchers.

Companies attributed the weak demand to a combination of factors: television prices have risen 15-20% over the past six months following a surge in memory chip costs, many matches are being telecast at inconvenient hours for Indian viewers, and an increasing number of consumers are choosing to stream games on smartphones instead of buying bigger-screen TVs.