RICHFIELD, Minn. — Grabbing a TV for a steal-of-a-deal is a popular move during the holiday season. This year, industry experts are expecting shoppers to go big — like really big.
A big-screen TV is the standard nowadays. TVs 55–65 inches are common sizes found in U.S. homes. A natural upgrade might be 75 or 85 inches — but how about 98 inches? If that’s not enough — how about 115 inches?
“I think it’s surreal,” Victoria Amador said as she stood in awe of the 115-inch screen on display at the Best Buy in Richfield.
The picture quality was incredible, let alone massive.
“I think internally we would call it an XXL. I think customers probably call it the biggest TV I could possibly buy,” Blake Hampton, Senior Vice President at Best Buy, said. “I think it’s certainly a massive growth area for where TVs are going.”
XXL TVs are defined as 97 inches or bigger, which is hard to visualize unless seen in person. For perspective, it’s longer than a full-size bed and only a few inches less wide. The 115-inch TV, however, is significantly longer than a queen-sized bed and just about the same width.
“The good news about it is that the picture quality on these size screens is getting better and better and the prices are getting more accessible,” Hampton said.
Paul Gagnon echoes that statement. He’s the Vice President at Circana, a research firm that tracks TV sales and trends.
“There’s a somewhat more limited number of households that are willing to adopt a TV that big, but the prices have fallen so much for those sets,” Gagnon said. “The average price as we track them is just under $3,000.”
While that is still expensive for many families, Gagnon said five years ago those same TVs were pushing $30,000.
Dropping production costs and more competition among brands have helped drive down the price. Gagnon said sales of TVs bigger than 85 inches are up 30% percent in the last year.
“The best-selling screen size lately has been 65-inch TVs. If you kind of think about those people who may already own 65-inch TVs, where do they trade up to from there?”
Last year, Hampton said only a few Best Buy stores in the country had a 98-inch TV or bigger on display. This holiday season, customers will see them in 700 locations. The 115-inch TV he demoed for WCCO is only on display at three stores in the country, including the Richfield location.
“We have a 98-inch TV that’s less than $2,000, and that’s kind of the entry point,” he said.
Target, Walmart and Costco are also selling XXL TVs, many of which are on sale.
