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January 21, 2015

When's the Best Time to Buy a New TV?

By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor

Like many consumers, I was recently faced with a decision to upgrade the main TV in my home. While I already had a higher-end model flat screen TV. I had purchased it for a pretty penny back in 2008 when they were clunkier, less smart and when 40 inches was still pretty big for a TV.



Fast forward seven years and we now have TVs that are as thin as paper, Internet and App-ready and easily sold for as big as 70 inches.  

When it came time to buy, not only was I faced with many choices on which brand and offering I wanted with my new TV, but I also had to decide when would I be getting the better deal - Black Friday (News - Alert) or Super Bowl?

It was a coin toss after consulting with some industry experts as to when the best deal could be found. Ultimately though, I found myself shopping around in the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday and stumbled upon a crate of available TVs for rock bottom prices and made the decision to purchase a 55 inch Smart TV.

We are very happy with the product we purchased and the price we paid, but it will be interesting to see if that same model, or others even more tricked out, will be hitting lower prices for the Super Bowl sales.


Image via Shutterstock

Turns out I was not alone in my dilemma this year. FatWallet.com just uncovered results from a 2015 TV Buyer Survey that found 1 in 4 consumers (26 percent) are expected to buy new TVs in 2015.

Of those making the purchases, 38 percent were under age thirty and 45 percent said price was the most important deciding factor.

This year, Black Friday pulled ahead and ranked higher than Super Bowl for the most likely time people will be making their TV purchases and 1 in 4 respondents also said they will be streaming most of their TV programming now.

"As more consumers look to stream their TV programming, retailers are responding with better pricing on bigger and smarter TV models," said Brent Shelton, FatWallet online shopping expert. "If you missed the Black Friday TV deals, Super Bowl sales offer shoppers an opportunity to save money upgrading their streaming capabilities and the big game experience."

Other highlights from the survey include:

  • 53 percent plan to spend $500 or more on a new TV this year – which is up 18 percent from 2014
  • 56 percent of consumers will buy smart TVs - which is up 29 percent from 2014
  • Mid-size 40-54" TV models were the most popular at 46 percent, with 31 percent saying they would buy a new TV 55" or bigger and only 6 percent saying they would shell out the cash to buy a new TV that is 70" or bigger

See the rest of the survey results here:  http://www.fatwallet.com/about-us/super-bowl-deals-rank-2/




Edited by Alisen Downey
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