By Alex Jensen –
The Los Angeles Rams may have won the Super Bowl by a close score, but there was nothing narrow about the massive TV audience that sat down to watch the NFL’s season finale. With over 15 million more people watching than last year, based on NBC’s numbers, there’s clearly some sporting excitement in the air in 2022. And the thrill’s only going to build globally for the FIFA World Cup Final, which can be expected to attract even more TV viewers than the Super Bowl when it’s held on December 18 – later than usual this year due to the Qatar heat.
It follows then that many of us are considering a TV upgrade this year. So much so that overall TV shipments are set to recover from last year’s slump by jumping 3.4% to 217 million units, according to market research firm TrendForce cited here – that’s back at the same level as the boom we saw in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
But clearly not all TVs are created equal. Whenever we approach major sporting events, we see the same question: what are the best TVs to watch them on? Ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, The Verge answered by pointing to “the phenomenal picture quality of OLED,” while TechRadar proved just how accessible OLED’s “brilliant colors and stunning contrasts” are. OLED TVs simply bring alive the pure speed and power of elite athletes, the atmosphere and the colors, the sense that you’re almost in the stadium in a way that any other TVs can’t.
So, OLED TVs are obviously going to be a crowd-pleaser again this year, with forecasts suggesting they will soar above the TV market as a whole. Indeed, when it comes to premium TVs valued at over US$1,500, the kind that transfix sports fans for their size and quality, OLEDs are expected to overtake LCDs by increasing their market share from 35.7% to 42.1%, according to this report citing market watcher Omdia. The rise of OLEDs will also be reflected by a jump in shipments, as another Korean media outlet reflects Omdia’s prediction that LG Display will ship 10 million OLED panels this year – up from 8 million units last year, and 4.5 million in 2020.
While the TV market heats up, it’s easy to see why sports fans would be dreaming of an upgrade. With LG Display’s OLED.EX tech set to offer a 30% brightness boost when it’s rolled out on new OLED TVs well in advance of the World Cup, immersion levels are only going to go up from here. At least picking a new TV’s not like getting stuck with a losing team!
