Chinese Companies OnePlus, Realme To Stop TV Manufacturing, Sales In India

Chinese companies OnePlus and Realme are reportedly pulling the shutters down on the production and sales of their televisions in India, but will still continue their smartphone business segment in the country.

At a time when Chinese companies are facing intense pressure in India, top players OnePlus and Realme said they will be discontinuing their smart TVs business in the country, despite previously showing signs of expanding their operations in the segment, industry sources told Indians news outlet Times of India.

"OnePlus and Realme have decided to move out of the television category, even though they continue to operate in the smartphone business," the sources said.

The demand for smart TVs in India has increased, owing to the internet boom, affordable data rates and also the popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Companies like OnePlus and Realme also appeared to be gaining momentum in the segment, before calling it quits, the report said.

Chinese company Xiaomi is still staying strong in the segment, sources added.

Veterans in the TV segment, like LG, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic, retain their hold in India, while new Chinese entrants like Xiaomi and TCL and homegrown brands like Vu are also making their mark.

In recent years, India has stepped up its crackdown on Chinese companies, especially in the smartphone sector. For instance, Xiaomi, which has made significant strides in India's smartphone market, was accused by Indian authorities this year of illegally transferring money to foreign entities.

Chinese smartphone makers Oppo Mobile and Vivo India were also accused of evading taxes.

China's state-owned Global Times published a report earlier this month about India stepping up the intensity of its anti-dumping trade measures against Chinese products. The report also quoted Chinese analysts saying that measures taken by India would have no significant effect on reducing its dependence on highly competitive Chinese products.

The Chinese analysts said the measures were part of India's protectionist trade war against China.

India's probes will not change the growing trend of China-India trade and also not reduce the neighboring country's dependence on Chinese goods, Lin Minwang, deputy director at the Center for South Asian Studies of Fudan University, told the outlet.