Once again, football adds shine to the image business. Companies are betting on a market with higher inches, between 55 and more screen sizes and expecting 1000 in Messi's boots.

Por Rodolfo Pollini

Without disregarding the applications and the operating system, the driving force of the television business for the world will be, once again, the size of the screens. After a market of 3.5 million units in the World Cup in Russia, collapsed after the devaluations of 2018, the promos and campaigns will start at the end of July, aiming for the market to grow by 15%.

Ramiro Martin, manager of the TV Business at BGH, estimated the market in the last 12 months at 2.6 million units of imports and, for all of 2022, the possibility of reaching 3 million.
In charge of the category at Newsan, Christian Hernán Stuhldreher recalled that the market had a volume of 2.8 million units in 2021, he agreed with the expectation of reaching 3 million this year and analyzed the mix: "Today 32" televisions represent more than a third of the market, unlike Europe, the United States and Asia, where there is a greater share of 55 to 75 inches," he said. "Between the 32" and the 42 and 43 there is more than 70% of the volume; the 50" are 20% and there we almost have the total market. This is explained, above all, by the purchasing power of income.”
Maximiliano Signorelli, brand manager at Philips TV & Sound, also projected this year's market at around 3 million. “We hope that the sell out matches these expectations,” he added. "The Hot Sale was very good, one week of sales at this event is equivalent to four weeks of a normal sales month and we had a very good share in all inches."

“This World Cup, unlike the previous ones, is at the end of the year, this means that the large volume is played in the second half,” said Lucía Goldberg, CE Marketing Manager of Samsung Electronics, and also highlighted the results of the Hot Sale. “It is a reference to how consumers anticipate purchases,” he said. "Compared to last year, there was an increase in sales of more than 40% and 30% in units, but the interesting thing is how this increase is directed towards larger and more premium televisions. In the Hot Sale there were more than 110,000 televisions sold and this market growth trend will continue."

The consumers
“World Cup years are characterized by technological advances that accelerate demand, as was the definition of 4K panels in the last World Cup,” said Martin. “This year the advances come from the operating system, its adaptation to the needs of the consumer is key along with the quality of the image and sound. Obviously, price and financing are added to this cocktail. Larger units with higher definition take precedence, such as 4K, which includes The 50, 55, 65 and 75-inch models will represent 38% to 40% of the market this year, when in previous years they represented 25% or 30%. The 32” models maintain their decreasing trend despite representing close to 30% of sales and the difference goes to the 43” model, with another approximately 30%.”

“Beyond the technological change, the driving force for this year's demand will be the increase in screen size,” said Stuhldreher. “We already see a trend in demand towards 55”, which historically was 4% or 5% of the market and this year should double. The applications that the consumer finds on a 32” television are found on a 50” television, so the attraction is the screen. The key date will be Cyber ​​at the end of October, with all the communications made and all the offer available.”

Signorelli pointed out that the stars are going to be the 55” and 65” and 4K televisions, because consumers want this technology and there is a lot of streaming content. “This pushes the replacement towards greater inches, along with the enthusiasm of the people with this National Team, which also helps,” he concluded.

Goldberg highlighted that the physical point of sale continues to drive sales and this demonstrates the importance of the consumer's experience in contact with the product. “We are going to focus on 65-inch televisions and more, because we see that there is a sales trend with exponential growth in these inches,” he added. “The consumer primarily cares about the size of the screen and, as subsequent characteristics, the quality of the image along with the quality of the sound, the platforms for gaming and the best experience with consoles and games, to have an immersive experience.”