TV as big as a bed? As the holidays approach, stores stock up

For some TV viewers, size seems to matter.

Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered larger than average a decade ago. Around the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL displays that are more than 8 feet wide. It is wider than a standard three-seater sofa or king-size bed.

Large format TVs accounted for just 1.7% of revenue from all TV sales in the United States during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies that are bracing shoppers for big Christmas gains, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, have reason to believe the growing Ultra category will be a bright spot in a tepid TV market, according to analysts.

Circana said the 38.1 million TVs sold at least 97 inches wide between January and September represented a tenfold increase over the same period last year. Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, has doubled its massive TV lineup — the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in about 70% of its stores.

“We’ve had great success this year,” said Blake Hampton, senior vice president of merchandising at Best Buy.

Analysts attribute the emerging demand to improved technology and ultra-low prices. So far this year, the average price of TVs at least 97 inches is $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 at a hefty price of $99,000. The company said it now has four versions starting at $4,000.

Anthony Ash, 42, a wood pallet and recycling company owner, recently purchased a 98-inch Sony phone for his 14,000-square-foot home in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which costs about $5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 85-inch television in the great room off his kitchen. Ash now has 17 TVs at home and uses some of them to display digital artwork.

“We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of his decision to expand his business to Sony. “You get a better TV experience with a larger TV. You’re sitting watching TV with someone on the TV who’s the same size as you. You can put yourself in the scene.”

The amount of time many people spend staring at their mobile phones and tablets, including watching movies and TV shows, is another factor driving the growth of widescreen TVs. Total TV sales revenue fell 4%, while the number of units sold rose 1% from January to September, Circana said.

Most people invest in a TV only every seven years, but when they do, they usually opt for larger sets, according to Rick Kowalski, senior director of business intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. In the past 15 years, the volume of flat-screen TVs shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers has increased by an inch per year, Kowalski said.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the stretching trend as people spent more time at home. In fact, screen sizes increased by two inches in both 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs are starting to gain traction with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the U.S. are accelerating this year, and there are models as large as 110-115 inches on the market now, he said.

“You get better accuracy over time,” Kowalski said. “You get better image quality. Over time, it becomes easier to produce these sets and the technology improves.”

Best Buy’s Hampton said one of the advantages of a large TV is that a viewer can watch multiple shows at once, an experience he described as “incredible.”

“If you’re watching YouTube TV or NFL Sunday Ticket content, you can actually have four screens, so four 48-inch screens on them,” he said.

Manufacturers are also adding new features. Samsung said it designed its 98-inch screen lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is watching to increase clarity and reduce visual noise in every scene.

The way people watch TV and experience content is changing, said James Fischler, senior vice president of Home Entertainment, Samsung’s US division.

“It’s more about watching TV as a shared experience,” Fischler said. “They want to host a viewing party and gather around the TV to watch the big game, or create a cinematic experience right at home.”

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, its Sam’s Club division, and Chicago retailer Abt Electronics also say they are expanding their TV ranges to meet customer demand for larger screens.

These massive TVs are beginning to encroach on home theater projectors, which produce a less sharp 100- to 120-inch picture and require rooms with blackout curtains or no windows, TV industry experts say.

“The movie theater used to be exclusively the domain of projectors,” said Andrew Savory, vice president of entertainment at LG Electronics, another Korean manufacturer. “But you can get a much better viewing experience with live TV.”

Retailers and TV makers said buyers trading in range from millennials and members of Generation But as John Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics, said, “It’s still a niche company.”

“A lot of people don’t have the space to put one of them,” he added.

Before they dream big about the holidays, shoppers should make sure the 98-inch TV is right for them. Best Buy said the Geek Squad is asking if stairwells and entry halls are large enough to accommodate delivery and installation. The retailer said an augmented reality feature in the Best Buy app that lets customers see if products are the right size was particularly useful for its XXL TVs.

But for those who are concerned about having viewing space, the good news is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually only 6-12 feet from the seating area. Samsung’s Fischler said the rule of thumb is to multiply the TV’s diagonal length by 1.2 to determine the ideal viewing distance.

If bigger is better in the TV department, how far can they go?

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Fischler said.

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