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Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the Christmas holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than eight feet across. That’s wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.
Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7 percent of revenue from all TV set sales in the United States during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana.
But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for the holidays have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts.
The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said.
Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs – the 19 models range in price from US$2,000 (HK$15,600) to US$25,000.
”It’s really taken off this year,” said Blake Hampton, Best Buy’s senior vice president of merchandising.
Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was US$3,113 compared to US$6,662 last year, according to Circana.
Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of US$99,000; it now has four versions starting at US$4,000, the company said.
Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in Wisconsin.
The device, which cost about US$5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 85-inch TV in the great room off his kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some to display digital art.
”We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’ ” he said. “You get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You’re sitting watching TV with a person on TV that is the same size as you. You can put yourself in the scene.”
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