Thomson, one of the most popular Smart TV manufacturers, is back again with a new 43-inch Jio smart TV. Well, in a general perspective, the operating system of Smart TVs has changed a lot and we can expect to see more modifications in the future. Keeping the same in mind, Techlusive had a QnA with Thomson CEO Avneet Singh Marwah in relation to the aspirations of Thomson in the Indian market and a lot more.
QNA with Avneet Singh Marwah, Thomson Ceo
Why did you choose JioTV OS instead of Google?
Answer: You know, the whole ecosystem was that about a couple of years back, and people were not thinking of an Indian OS that will work on Smart TVs or we will have a complete Indian ecosystem. Therefore, we wanted to shift, to JioTele OS. And the price was another factor that Jio is much more competitive in terms of. And with that kind of ecosystem, I think it was high time we took a decision to move from any OS to Jio.
And the best part for Jio is that it has all the application ecosystem plus the kind of ecosystem that Jio in totality has created is nothing less than amazing. For example, they have rights to 95% of the cricket matches that India will play and cricket is a religion in India. In terms of content, they have more than 60% of the content in terms of viewership.
They have introduced Jio voice, an AI-based voice engine available in eight languages. Jio has localized the ecosystem plus the regional content. On the other hand, Google was missing out on these things.
So this is a special television for the entry-level price point which I feel will be able to create disruption in the market woo the audience. There was a gap between the entry-level and a premium segment and that gap has been filled by the latest model. And in the future, we will be running the whole ecosystem of internet IoT things connected through Jio’s operating system.
Question: So basically, it is safe to say that THOMSON, as a brand, is trying its best to double down on local content that can appeal to the masses in India.
Answer: Absolutely, and we are very proud also of the fact that an India-based OS has been developed and this will definitely change the whole scenario of televisions.
Question: So my next question is about the plan of Thomson for the Indian market. What can we get to see in the near future?
Answer: So from February 2025 till August 2025, we will be launching a television every month now. There is a lot of disruption, and we will be auditing all the categories entry-level, mid-segment, ultra-premium, and premium. So we are completely changing our portfolio and adopting an aggressive approach towards all the categories, from 24 inches to the highest size in India that will be selling.
I can’t disclose the size but this will make Thomson the only brand in India possessing a portfolio so big. We will focus on selling all the sizes possible, all the commercial sizes possible. And currently also, we are the only brand that sells from 24 to 75. And yes we will be adding more sizes too.
Question: Is THOMSON planning to implement JIO TeleOS all over its lineup?
Answer: No, as of now, we have just started with the 43-inch segment. In the future, yes we will expand the horizons of the same but a complete overhaul of all sizes is something which I am sure of at this point in time.
Question: And What about the AI-driven content suggestions and other features, can you explain them a little?
Answer: For example, Let’s say, you are watching different movies and shows on multiple OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others. Now, the AI will read the genre and type of content you are consuming and change the all-over suggestions on the homepage according to that.
So, with our AI in action, you will get suggestions from all the OTTs based on the type of content that you love consuming. This is nothing less than a change in the ecosystem. Additionally, we will be dropping updates pretty soon that will allow the users to get the Rotten Tomatoes rating and synopsis of the movies on the homepage itself.
And yes, there will be a lot of suggestions based on the local content depending on the genre that you like which will definitely make the streaming enthusiast in you explore the hidden gems irrespective of the language.
Question: Can you please give us a hint related to the update roll out for the current OS? As in how soon can the audience get to see the new features?
Answer: So there will be a lot of new cool features that we will be introducing with the new updates of the operating system. For example, live TV and the addition of more than 399 free channels. And the number will shoot up to 800 channels with more updates in action.
Question: So is there a timeline for the events that are going to happen in terms of updates?
Answer: No, there is no fixed timeline for that as of now. The free channel is already there and people can start leveraging it. This means all the customers who have purchased the TV recently and are going to make a purchase will get the Free TV channels feature. Apart from that, next in the line will be the addition of Rotten Tomatoes ratings and synopsis. And this will keep going and new features will keep coming.
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