(Yicai Global) July 16 -- Chinese electronics manufacture Hisense saw television sales more than triple in Russia in the week leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup as sports fans scrambled to upgrade their TV sets in time for soccer's biggest competition.

TV sales in the World Cup's host nation leaped 239 percent from June 4 through June 10, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported, citing data from the company. Sales had been increasing steadily since May, and in the week before the tournament the quickest-growing sellers were 55-inch and 65-inch high-definition sets.

People watch TV longer and more frequently during the World Cup, and emphasize picture quality, screen size and control capabilities, Liu Changhai, deputy general manager of Hisense's Russia unit, said at a global customer conference in Moscow yesterday. This prompts them to replace their old TVs, he added.

Editor: James Boynton