Smart TVs have become the norm for new-age consumers as they love to watch content on the go via OTT (over-the-top) platforms instead of relying on traditional linear TV channels for watching content in the old school manner. Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd, a Kodak Brand Licensee, in an exclusive conversation with TelecomTalk, said that maximum growth for Smart TV demand in the rural and semi-urban India.
Marwah said that the Finance Minister’s move of announcing that the government will be focusing on laying optical fiber cable (OFC) in rural parts of the country where the electricity has just arrived is a big move. The faster internet reaches everywhere, the more OTT platforms and the role of Smart TVs will grow in India.
Indians Enjoy Strong Connectivity, Says Marwah
Without taking the name of the telecom operator, Marwah said that four to five years back, when a certain internet service provider launched services in India, the data rates went down significantly. Adding to this, Marwah said that a lot of his international partners remark on how good the 4G connectivity is in India despite such a large demographic.
Kodak Wants to Provide Everything at More Affordable Rates
Kodak understands the Indian market is price sensitive. Thus, to stay ahead of the other brands in the market, Kodak offers the same thing its competitors are offering at a lower price. For example, if a certain company is offering a 50-inch TV for Rs 60,000, Marwah said that Kodak would offer a 60-inch option for the same price. Thus, Kodak is just looking to provide something extra to the Indian users.
India has a Shortage of Skilled Labour
India has a shortage of skilled labour right now, said Marwah. He said that looking at the complex technologies that are coming over, India needs to produce more skilled labours. Marwah said the PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme for displays and semiconductors from the government is a bold move. India had started relying way too much on China for displays and other components. But now, with the PLI schemes, the government is ensuring that India will become Aatmanirbhar in the foreseeable future.
The biggest win to come out of this would be the exports that Indian manufacturers will be able to make. Marwah said that India has way more capabilities than other nations to build an exporting ecosystem because of the kind of education system India has.
In the next ten years, Marwah said that we need a long-term policy from the government along with a stable government, and India would definitely be one of the biggest manufacturing countries in the world.
