TV Market Rankings: Trends, Share & Top Brands [Infographic]

In August 2022, the US television market reported nearly $18 billion in revenue, with projected growth over the next five years.

Want to know how, where, and why those consumer dollars are being spent?

Read on to find out what TVs consumers are buying most, where they’re buying them, and what drives their purchase decisions – and download our TV market rankings infographic for even more insights.

Data for this post and infographic was pulled from TraQline’s consumer insights tool, looking at a rolling four quarters ending September 2022. These insights only begin to break the surface of consumer information available.

US TV Market Share Leaders: Top Brands & Retailers

Which retailer leads in TV units sold?

By unit share, Walmart and Best Buy continue to be the leading retailers, encompassing two-thirds of all TV sales, with both retailers experiencing significant sales increase YOY. With the highest share of total TV sales by retailer, Walmart earned just over 37% market share.

Walmart also leads all other major outlets in draw and close rates, as they have since at least 2018. Additionally, draw rates for Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Costco all increased YOY, while the Sam’s Club draw rate remains unchanged. Close rates across all major retailers remain mostly unchanged, apart from decreased rates for both Sam’s Club and Amazon.

What inspires consumers to buy at any given store?

Regardless of store, the top two reasons for deciding to make a TV purchase at a given location is “competitive price” and “good selection of products.”

What brand leads in top TV sales?

The best-selling TV brands by units sold are Samsung and LG, market share positions held by these TV manufacturers since at least 2017. Interestingly, looking at YOY growth, neither brand saw a significant increase nor decrease in sales. To see specific market share numbers for Samsung, LG, Sony, and more, download the infographic below!

TV Buying Trends: Online TV Sales

In-store purchases have historically outshone online TV sales, even while experiencing a few years of downward trend, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, in-store purchases are once again on the rise. Over the past four quarters, in-store TV sales have seen significant growth YOY. Subsequently, while not reaching pre-pandemic levels, online TV sales are also down significantly YOY. In fact, over the past year, online TV sales accounted for only 28% of all TV purchases.

Fun Fact: 51% of all LCD and LED TV sales were made online!

TV Buying Trends: Average Price Paid

The average price paid for a TV across all retailers and brands was $531. However, the average amount paid can vary drastically at different retailers.

For example, Costco is shown to have a consistently higher average price paid than other stores. On the other end of the pricing spectrum, Walmart is shown to have consistently lower prices on TVs than other outlets. Additionally, while 41% of all purchases were priced at $479 or more, 75% of Walmart purchases were under the $479 mark.

Average price paid also varies based on the brand. In the past few years, Sony consistently has the highest average price paid for a TV, coming in at $762 this past year. Samsung and LG consistently show the next highest, averaging $684 and $661, respectively.

TV Buying Trends: Consumer Demographics

Take a quick glance at the consumers who made up the last year of TV purchasers. More demographic insights are available in the downloadable infographic.

Generation

Over half (52%) of purchasers were Gen X or Baby Boomers. Matures are the least likely to purchase a new TV – only 2%.

Gender

Most purchases (69%) were made with a male involved in the decision, with 46% of TV purchase decisions being made by male only buyers.

Household Status

About 61% of purchasers were homeowners, and 74% of purchases were for a household size of two or more.

Economic Status

Of all purchases, 31% were made by someone with a household income of less than $35,000.

TV Buying Trends: TV Specs

To stay relevant with consumers, the television market is constantly innovating, striving to deliver bigger, clearer, and more internet-connected units. Here are a few bonus insights highlighting TV buying trends based on specifications.

Larger TV Units

Development advances and widespread availability of larger screen sizes have increased in recent years. Prices for larger screen units are also becoming more economical. Hence, purchases of larger sizes have increased. Over half (51%) of purchases for 4Q ending Sept 2022 are sized 50 inches or more – continuing that upward trend seen in recent years.

Screen Display

While LED and LCD displays still account for over half of all TV sales, the market share for these displays is trending down – and OLED and QLED displays are trending up. Within the past year of sales, OLEDs accounted for over 10% of TV sales and QLEDs accounted for nearly 14%.

Ultra HD 4K & 8K

Speaking of display, the popularity of Ultra HD continues to rise, with 4K and 8K resolution capturing over half (52%) of the total market sales this past year.

Smart TV Internet Connectivity

With the rise of streaming networks, it’s not surprising that over 85% of all TV purchases were capable of internet connection.