Katarzyna Petru
Televisions with a diagonal size over 80 inches are becoming more affordable. According to forecasts from the research company Omdia, this segment will grow by as much as 44% over the next five years.
The leading players here are TCL with 85 and 98-inch models, followed closely by Hisense with 100-inch screens. Also joining the competition are LG, Thomson, Samsung, Sony, and others, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
– “Significantly lower prices of ultra-large televisions are making this previously premium category accessible to a wider group of consumers. This results from more efficient production and strategies of Chinese brands, which in the segment above 1000 dollars focus more on market share and brand visibility than on margin,” comments Matthew Rubin, chief TV market analyst at Omdia.
They're powered by LCD, not OLED
The increase is mainly driven by LED-backlit LCD televisions. OLED and microLED in sizes over 80 inches are still prohibitively expensive, although prices for 83-inch OLEDs are starting to slowly drop.
The entire TV market will not grow significantly - from 209 million units in 2025 to 211 million in 2029 - but it will be the ultra-large segment that will account for this growth. Omdia forecasts that sales of televisions over 80 inches will rise from 9 million in 2025 to over 13 million in 2029. The leaders will remain China and North America, while growth in Europe will be moderate.
RGB LED instead of 8K
More and more attention is being paid by manufacturers to RGB LED technology, which is quickly making its way into mid-range models.
Hisense is already announcing cheaper models with this backlighting for next year, and Sony and Samsung are preparing to expand their offerings beyond flagship devices. LG is also signalling work on its own RGB LEDs.
Interestingly, manufacturers are currently focusing more on RGB LED in ultra-large TVs than on further promoting 8K.
