No more Realme, OnePlus TVs for Indians: Report

It is confirmed, Realme and OnePlus are finally exiting the television market in India after weeks of speculations over the same. Both companies are owned by Chinese tech giant BBK Electronics Corporation which also owns Oppo, Vivo, and Iqoo.

According to a report by Times of India, both companies will soon quit operations in the country.

It should be noted that both companies started selling smart TVs in the last couple of years and grew to become some of the fastest-growing TV OEMs in the country. Realme and OnePlus, both assemble smart TVs in India and have created sales channels and branding.

OnePlus, Vu, and TCL were among the fastest-growing TV brands in the smart TV segment last year.

BBK-owned OnePlus grabbed the second spot in the below Rs 30,000 segment last year. The report noted that the decision to quit the TV business is exclusive to their smartphone business, which they will continue to operate.

This news has come at a time when the Indian TV market is thriving supported by streaming and OTT content services and cheap internet.

Another smartphone maker Xiaomi dominated the Indian TV market last year, with more than 10 percent market share. The ranking was followed by Samsung and LG, according to market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research. While more than 99 percent of the televisions are assembled in the country, some high-end TVs are imported into India.

In the first half of 2023, about 4.5 million TVs were shipped in India, which is an 8 percent increase YoY basis, as per the research firm IDC

While Xiaomi held a 14 percent share, Samsung and LG had 13 and 12 percent share, respectively.

Realme and OnePlus TVs are currently available from their websites and other online stores. The companies haven’t announced when they will stop selling TV units in India.