PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, February 21, 2008 – LCD TVs continue to dominate the TV playing field for the Super Bowl. According to The NPD Group’s weekly point-of-sale data (POS)*, U.S. retail sales of LCD TVs brought in nearly $250 million the week of the Super Bowl (week ending February 2, 2008) and captured almost 80 percent of all TV unit sales and revenue. LCD unit volume increased 41 percent from the prior week (week ending January 26, 2008) and revenue was up 36 percent. Plasma TVs increased 52 percent in units and 33 percent in dollars for the same time period, while rear projection sets showed some life, up 48 percent in units and 38 percent in revenue.
| Super Bowl Week TV Unit Share and Average Selling Price (ASP) | ||||||
| 2006 Unit Share | 2006 ASP | 2007 Unit Share | 2007 ASP | 2008 Unit Share | 2008 ASP | |
| LCD | 23% | $1,075 | 45% | $1,032 | 79% | $978 |
| Plasma | 7% | $2,495 | 11% | $1,724 | 11% | $1,336 |
| Rear Projection | 13% | $2,054 | 10% | $1,484 | 4% | $1,458 |
Having TVs with higher resolution was part of the consumers’ game plan this year. 1080p LCD TVs accounted for 35 percent of LCD unit sales Super Bowl week, up from just 13 percent last year. While 720p LCDs were still the best-selling, unit share dropped from 73 percent for Super Bowl 2007 to 63 percent this year.
Plasma TVs also saw a shift in sales. 1080p plasmas went from less than 1 percent of plasma TV sales last year, to nearly 16 percent this year. 720p dropped from 95 percent to 80 percent of sales.
"Although the Super Bowl broadcast could not take full advantage of 1080p-native televisions, consumers are clearly looking forward to more programming at this high resolution," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis, The NPD Group. "The spectacle of the NFL's championship game continues to drive demand for big-screen televisions."
Consumer trends may have been led by heavy promoting from the manufacturers and retailers. According to NPD’s Retail Insight Service, LCD TVs accounted for 70 percent of promotions in the week of the Super Bowl, just under the 74 percent seen for the holiday season, but well ahead of the 51 percent for 2007 Super Bowl advertising.
| Super Bowl Week TV Promotional Share | |||
| LCD | Plasma | Rear Projection | |
| 2006 | 32% | 33% | 35% |
| 2007 | 51% | 23% | 26% |
| 2008 | 70% | 19% | 11% |
There was also a big push for 1080p. 1080p televisions accounted for 50 percent of the promotional share the week of the Super Bowl, up from the 18 percent share in 2007 and 10 percent share in 2006.
"LCD TV obviously made up the bulk of the advertising this year but what is compelling is the increased push for 1080p televisions, which ensures greater overall profitability for resellers and manufacturers," said Samir Bhavnani, director, consumer technology, The NPD Group.
* NPD's weekly POS information is derived from a subset panel of retailers that also contribute to NPD's projected monthly POS panel.
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