NEW YORK (AP) – For some viewerssize apparently matters.

Forget 65-inch TVs which were considered above average ten years ago. In time for the holidaysManufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL displays measuring more than 8 feet in diameter. This is wider than a standard three-seater sofa or a king-size bed.

Large-format TVs accounted for just 1.7 percent of all U.S. TV sales in the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies prepare buyers To make it big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to believe the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise lukewarm TV market, analysts say.

The 38.1 million TVs sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represent a tenfold increase over the same period last year, Circana said. Best buythe country’s largest consumer electronics chain, has doubled its lineup of full-size TVs (all 19 models cost between $2,000 and $25,000) and introduced screens in about 70 percent of its stores.

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

Analysts attribute the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs at least 97 inches was $3,113, up from $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 at a steep price of $99,000; there are now four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.

Anthony Ash, 42, owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently purchased a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot home in Bristol, Wisconsin. The unit, which cost about $5,000 excluding installation costs, replaced an 85-inch TV in the large room off her kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some of them to display digital art.

“We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’ “, he said of his decision to move to Sony. “You get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You’re sitting watching TV with someone the same height as you. You can put yourself in the spotlight.

The amount of time many people spend looking at their cell phones and tablets, especially for stream movies and TV shows, is another factor driving the growth of big screen tv screens. Overall TV sales revenue fell 4%, while the number of units sold increased 1% between January and September, Circana said.

Most people only invest in a TV every seven years, but when they do, they usually choose a bigger one, according to Rick Kowalski, senior director of business intelligence at the company. Consumer Technology Association. Over the past 15 years, the size of flat-screen TVs shipped to U.S. retailers and resellers has increased by an average of one inch per year, Kowalski said.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the tendency to lengthen because people were spending more time at home. In fact, screen sizes have increased by an average of two inches in 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs have started to gain traction with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the United States are accelerating this year, and models up to 110-115 inches are currently on the market, he said.

“You get better resolution over time,” Kowalski said. “You get better image quality. And so, over time, it becomes easier to produce these sets and improve the technology.”

Best Buy’s Hampton said one of the benefits of a colossal TV is that the viewer can watch multiple shows at once, an experience he called “amazing.”

“If you watch YouTube TV content or ‘ NFL Sunday Ticket“You can actually fit four screens, and that’s four 48-inch screens,” he said.

Manufacturers also add new features. Samsung said it designed its 98-inch lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is looking at to increase sharpness and reduce visible noise in each scene.

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

“It’s even more about watching TV as a shared experience,” Fishler said. “They want to host a viewing party and gather around their TV to watch the big game, or host a movie experience right in their home. »

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, its Sam’s Club division, and Chicago retailer Abt Electronics also say they are expanding their TV lines to meet customer demand for giant screens.

TV industry experts say these monster TVs are starting to encroach on home theater projectors, which create a less sharp 100- to 120-inch picture and require rooms with blackout curtains or no windows.

“A viewing room dedicated to watching movies was exclusively the purview of projectors,” said Andrew Sivori, vice president of the entertainment division of LG Electronicsanother Korean manufacturer. “But you can get a much better viewing experience with direct TV.”

Retailers and TV makers have said buyers range from millennials and Gen Xers to tech-native Generation Z. 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 install one,” he added.

So before dreaming big for the holidays, buyers should make sure a 98-inch TV will fit. Best Buy said its Geek Squad team asks whether stairwells and lobbies are large enough to accommodate delivery and installation. An augmented reality feature on the Best Buy app that lets customers see if products are the right size has been particularly useful for XXL TVs, the retailer said.

But for those worried about having enough space to watch, the good news is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually only 6 to 12 feet from the seating area. The general rule of thumb is to multiply the TV’s diagonal length by 1.2 to determine the ideal viewing distance, Samsung’s Fishler said.

If bigger is better in the TV department, how far can they go?

“I think we’ll have to wait and see,” Fishler said.