To create awareness about its products in India, Sony India has announced that it will invest up to Rs. 1,800 crore on promotion and marketing in the next one year

Mr. Masaru Tamagawa, MD of Sony India said the company is eyeing to double the sales of flat panel display televisions in India to 800 units in 2010, and for achieving this figure the company is going to double the investment in promotions by Rs. 1,470 crore.

Mr. Tamagawa said the company has invested more than Rs. 700 crore in promoting its 'Bravia' range of flat panel display Television, which contributes more than one-third of the total turnover of Rs. 3,500 crore in India.

Moreover, the company is also increasing investment of Rs. 200 crore made on promotion of other products in the country by 25 % in the current year.

He said last year in 2009, the company sold more than 400 units of Bravia in India and in the current year it intends to double the sales to 800 units.

Mr. Tamagawa also said in the current year the company is targeting a 30 % market share in the segment. The total market LCDs in the country is around 1.6 mn units which are expected to grow up to 2.7 mn units by the end of current financial year.

The company is also planning to double its dealer network to 5,000 from its current 2,500.

The company has announced the launch of 24 new models in NX, EXm and BX series under the Bravia umbrella of varying screen size between 22 and 60 inches.

The company said its new range of TVs are also compatible with internet and also has exclusive tie-ups with some of the content providers such as Youtube to provide videos and clips for its Bravia range of TVs.

The company is also going to launch 3D TVs in India for which the announcement would be made in the month of June 2010.

Meanwhile, Sony also announced an upgrade to its PlayStation 3 gaming console, which will allow the players to experience 3D games, and moreover, the Blu-ray system will be upgraded as well.