Flipkart Launches TV Streaming Stick at Rs 3,499 to Rival Amazon

The latest TV streaming device to launch in India runs on Android TV & competes with Amazon and Airtel among others.

Flipkart MarQ TurboStream (left), Amazon Fire TV Stick (centre) and Airtel Xstream stick (right)

(Photo: The Quint)

Flipkart is the latest company to enter the TV streaming market in India, and for this, it has launched a streaming stick running on Android TV called MarQ TurboStream. This product is similar to the Amazon Fire TV Stick, as well as the Airtel Xstream stick, both of which can be seen in the above image.

Flipkart has priced its device at Rs 3,499 and it is now available in the country through its online platform.

MarQ is basically Flipkart’s version of a private label under which the company sells other products like TVs, air conditioners, refrigerator and even audio speakers. This is similar to Amazon’s Basic range of products, which is also available in the country.

Talking about the TurboStream, this device is running on Android TV version 9.0 which supports Google Assistant for voice command and offers access to other apps through the Play Store.

Interestingly, the company hasn’t mentioned the processor power running under the hood, but we’re hopeful it’ll be a quad-core unit.

We do know that the TurboStream gets a 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, where the installed apps reside. It supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi of course, and the bundled remote works with IR blaster.

Flipkart mentions that you can watch content from Netflix, Hotstar, Voot, Alt Balaji and Eros Now, but Amazon Prime Video is missing from the list, but one should be able to download it separately.

For audio, MarQ TurboStream gets powered by Dolby Audio, which is likely to enhance the sound output coming from the device through the TV. This launch co-incides with Flipkart’s entry into the video content segment, which is available through its app.

According to a joint study by ASSOCHAM and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dec 2018, the over the top (OTT) video market in India, primarily comprising of content streaming services, is expected to be among the top ten markets in the world, with a size of $823 million by the year 2022.

And pretty everybody wants a piece of this growing market, which includes Tata Sky, Airtel and Dish TV as well.

Airtel’s Xstream stick is similar to the Google Chromecast in design, and offers features that Amazon Fire TV stick does. It is powered by Android 9.0, and according to Airtel, it converts any regular TV into a smart TV.

The Airtel Xstream Stick with built-in Chromecast support is powered by a 1.6 Ghz processor, while the memory unit is not given. This device also supports Google Assistant, using which, users can give voice commands to access content.

But unlike these devices, the Dish SMRT stick works exclusively within its ecosystem, and the person needs to be an existing Dish TV subscriber. Same goes for Tata Sky as well, which introduced a unique Sky Binge service, which is nothing but a Fire TV stick pre-loaded with its TV content of up to seven days. This one is priced at Rs 249 per month, which offers you the device as well as the content.