A TV as large as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores distribute more supersize sets

recent YORK — For some television viewers, size apparently does matter.

overlook the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In period for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That’s wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.

Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of returns from all TV set sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to economy research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to leave large for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have rationale to ponder the growing ultra category will be a luminous spot in an otherwise tepid television economy, according to analysts.

The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold boost from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the country’s largest customer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19 models range in worth from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores.

“It’s really taken off this year,” Blake Hampton, Best Buy’s elder vice president of merchandising, said.

Analysts loan the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average worth for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty worth tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the business said.

Anthony Ash, a 42-year-ancient owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which expense about $5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 85” 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 worth was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of deciding to upsize to the Sony. “You get a better TV encounter 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.”

The amount of period that many people spend staring at their cellphones and tablets, including to stream movies and TV shows, is another factor driving the growth of widescreen TV screens. Overall TV sales returns fell 4%, while the number of units sold rose 1% from the January through September period, Circana said.

Most people only invest in a television every seven years, but when they do, they typically choose bigger ones, according to Rick Kowalski, the elder director of business intelligence at the customer Technology Association. In the history 15 years, the size of flat-panel TVs that were shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers grew an average of one inch a year, Kowalski said.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the elongation pattern as people spent more period at home. In truth, screen sizes increased an average of two inches in both 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs began gaining traction with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the U.S. are picking up pace this year, and models as huge as 110-115 inches are on the economy correct now, he said.

“You get better resolution over period,” Kowalski said. “You get better picture standard. And so just over period, it’s easier to produce those sets and enhance the technology.”

Best Buy’s Hampton said a advantage of a colossal TV is the viewer can watch multiple shows at once, an encounter he described as “incredible.”

“If you’re watching YouTube TV content or ‘ NFL Sunday Ticket,’ you can actually get four screens up, and that’s four 48-inch screens on it,” he said.

Manufacturers are also adding recent features. Samsung said it designed its 98-inch lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is watching to boost sharpness and reduce visible noise across every scene.

James Fishler, elder vice president of the home entertainment division of Samsung’s U.S. division, said the way people watch TV and encounter content is shifting.

“It’s even more so about watching TV as a shared encounter,” Fishler said. “They desire to host a watch event and gather around their TV to watch the large game, or set up a cinematic movie encounter correct at home. ”

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

TV industry experts declare these monster TVs are beginning to encroach on home theater projectors, which make a 100- to 120-inch image that is less sharp and require rooms with blackout curtains or without windows.

“A dedicated viewing room for watching movies was exclusively the purview of projectors,” Andrew Sivori, vice president in the entertainment division of LG Electronics, another Korean manufacturer. “But you can get a much better viewing encounter with direct TV.”

Retailers and TV makers said the buyers buying and selling up range from millennials and members of production X to the tech-native Gen Z throng. But as Jon Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics said, “It’s still a niche business.”

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

Before dreaming large for the holidays, shoppers therefore should make sure a 98-inch TV will fit. Best Buy said its Geek Squad throng asks if stairwells and entry halls are large enough to accommodate delivery and installation. An augmented reality characteristic on the Best Buy app that allows customers to view if products are the correct size has been especially helpful for XXL TVs, the retailer said.

But for those worried about having the space for viewing, the excellent information is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually just 6-12 feet from the seating area. The rule of thumb is to multiple the diagonal length of the TV by 1.2 to determine the ideal viewing distance, Samsung’s Fishler said.

If bigger is better in the TV department, how large can they leave?

“I ponder we’ll have to wait and view,” Fishler said.