French brand Thomson names SPPL licensee for TVs in India

Technicolor SA, owned TV brand Thomson has launched a range of smart TVs along with its Indian licensee Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL). Done in collaboration with Business France (Trade Section of the Embassy of France), this launch marks re-entry of the French brand in the Indian market. The brand unveiled its 43 UHD 4K, 40 smart and 32 smart TV’s, which will be exclusively available on Flipkart, starting today. The brand will open its flash sale on April 13th, 2018, Friday, at 12 noon. Commenting on the launch, Claire Villeneuve, Head, Intellectual Property and Licensing, Technicolor, France said, “Technicolor, owner of Thomson brand is very proud to sign a long-term license with SPPL as a strategic partner to develop Thomson’s presence in India.” Elated about the launch, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL said “With the launch we aim to capture 6 to 7 per cent of total TV market share. We have already planned to put one more manufacturing line of Led TV by next-quarter.” Apart from Thomson, Super Plastronics holds licence for other brands like Kodak TV, Crown and SVK. Commenting on the launch, Sandeep Karwa, Head of TV & Large Appliance Flipkart said, “Replicating our strategy for smartphones, this launch marries well into our commitment of driving innovation in the market while we continue to be India’s most trusted destination for TVs.” Welcoming Thomson’s come back to India Ms. Claire Thuaudet, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of France, elucidated “We extend our wholehearted support and welcome to Thomson in India. A brand known for its French legacy, innovation and leadership.” A move to disrupt TV segment in India Betting big on ‘aggressive pricing’ Thomson has kept the pricing between the brackets of INR 13,490 to INR 27,999, thus taking a jibe on Chinese tech major Xiaomi. In February this year, Xiaomi had unveiled its 55-inch LED TV for Rs 39,999. Since then, it has added 43-inch and 32-inch TV sets to its portfolio. Another player Vu offers TV sets ranging between 24-inch screens to 75-inch, with prices starting around Rs 10,000. Apart from these new brands, Thomson will also compete with the top three TV brands -- Sony, Samsung and LG that together account for almost 90 per cent of the market. The Thomson 43 UHD 4K Smart Tv’s comes with default APK Gmail, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Netflix and runs on Android 4.4.4.0 and Aptoide with the feature to download any App. With a rich heritage stretching back more than 120 years, Thomson has been part of the world’s greatest technological revolutions with an unwavering dedication of making innovation accessible to all. World leader in CRT TVs in the 80’s, Thomson has kept developing its business with partners worldwide and is in the top selling TV brands in France, its home country. Accoring to Claire Villeneuve, Thomson has five brand license agreements globally for markets as China, US, Europe and Africa.