As the adage goes, bigger is often considered better, especially when it comes to the evolution of television screens over the past 15 years. It’s a fascinating journey from bulky CRTs to sleek flat-panels, where the only thing that has shrunk, it seems, is the price tag. Once upon a time, a 32-inch TV was a colossal addition to any living room, and moving it more resembled repositioning a small boulder than an electronic device. Today, a 32-inch TV might be casually mounted on a bedroom wall.
The numbers are striking. In 2004, the average TV screen size was a modest 25.4 inches with the average selling price sitting at $552. Fast forward to 2019, and the average screen size had nearly doubled to 47 inches, with the average selling price surprisingly dropping to $336. The cost of a square inch of screen in 2004 was more than five times what it costs today – and even more so if you adjust for inflation.
According to Steven Baker, VP of industry analysis at NPD group, “Screen sizes keep getting bigger and that has proven to drive interest and demand.” This desire for larger screens has been supported by the shift from heavy CRTs and rear-projection models to flat-panel LCD, plasma, and OLED TVs, which not only deliver superior picture quality but also come in significantly lighter, more manageable packages.
In the mid-2000s, rear-projection TVs offered some of the biggest screens available, with models like the 56-inch Samsung HL-S5687, which retailed for $2,700 – a price that was considered a bargain at the time. These days, you can purchase a 75-inch screen for less than $1,000, and Baker predicts that the next frontier of 85-inch screens will soon dip below the $1,000 mark as well.
Another aspect that has changed over the years is where people buy their TVs. The emergence of online retailers, such as Amazon, and the prevalence of big-box stores like Walmart and Costco have made purchasing a new TV both easier and cheaper. The average price of TVs peaked in 2007 between $900 and $1,000, but those days are long gone, and a broader swath of consumers can now afford larger, high-quality TVs.