Best Time to Buy a TV: Super Bowl Sales vs Black Friday
There are three good windows to buy a TV: Black Friday through the holidays, the weeks before the Super Bowl, and spring into early summer when last year's models are cleared out. Black Friday usually has the lowest prices across the most models. The pre-Super Bowl sales are a strong second chance, especially on large screens. Spring clearance can beat both on specific higher-end models once their replacements arrive. Super Bowl LXI is on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, so the pre-game sales should run through late January and early February.
Why TVs go on sale before the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched broadcasts in the US each year, and plenty of people decide that's the moment to upgrade. Retailers know this and run TV promotions in the weeks before the game, often focused on big screen sizes.
There's also a calendar reason. TV makers announce their new lineups at CES in early January, and those models typically arrive in stores from spring into early summer. In late January and early February, stores are still selling the current year's models and want to move inventory before the new ones land. Super Bowl sales sit right in that gap.
In practice, pre-Super Bowl prices are often close to the holiday lows on many models, and sometimes match them. They rarely go meaningfully below Black Friday on the same set, but if you missed the holidays, this is the next good chance.
Super Bowl vs Black Friday vs spring
Black Friday and the holiday season usually bring the lowest prices of the year on the widest range of TVs. Two caveats. Some of the most heavily advertised doorbusters are special models made for the sale, with fewer features than similar-looking sets, and inflated "was" prices are common. Our guide to Black Friday fake discounts covers how to spot both.
Pre-Super Bowl (late January to early February) is a strong second window. Prices on current models are often at or near holiday levels, and stores tend to push larger sizes. If a set you want is back at its holiday low, that's a good buy.
Spring into early summer is when last year's models get cleared. Once a new model ships, the outgoing one often drops in price, sometimes below its holiday low, and the year-over-year differences can be modest. The catch is selection: popular sizes sell out, and timing varies by brand and model.
Late summer and early fall are generally the weakest time for TV deals. New models are still near launch pricing and the holiday season hasn't started.
A simple way to decide:
- Want the newest model? Wait until a few months after launch, or until its first holiday season, when prices usually settle.
- Want the best price on a good current model? Black Friday, then the Super Bowl window.
- Flexible on model year and willing to hunt? Spring clearance on last year's models.
How to compare TV models
TV pricing is hard to compare because model names are confusing and retailers sell slightly different variants. A few habits help.
Use the full model number. Model numbers usually encode the screen size, the series, and the model year. The same series can have different features at different sizes, and a retailer-exclusive version may differ from the one that was reviewed. Compare the exact model number across stores and reviews.
Know which year you're looking at. Brands refresh most lines every year. Check the model year in the manufacturer's listing so you don't pay current-model money for an outgoing set, or think you're getting last year's price on this year's model.
Compare what matters for picture quality and use:
- Panel type: OLED, mini-LED, QLED, and standard LED each have different strengths in contrast, brightness, and price.
- Brightness and local dimming: matter a lot for bright rooms and HDR content.
- Refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports: matter for gaming and fast sports. A 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 support are worth checking if you have a recent console.
- Size and viewing distance: a bigger budget set can beat a smaller premium one for a large room, and vice versa.
- Smart TV platform: some people use a separate streaming device anyway, so this may matter less than it seems.
Watch for sale-only variants. Holiday doorbusters in particular can carry model numbers that look close to a reviewed model but differ in panel, ports, or processing. If you can't find independent reviews of that exact model number, be cautious.
How to know if a TV price is good
The "was" price on a TV listing is often not what the set sold for most of the time. A TV that launched at a high price in spring may have spent months well below it, so a discount from launch price tells you little.
What tells you more:
- Price history for the exact model. Is today's price at or near the lowest it has been? If it was lower on Black Friday and you're shopping in February, you know roughly what a great price looks like.
- Prices across retailers. Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, and Target often price the same model differently, and some will match competitors.
- Price per inch, when comparing sizes. It's not perfect, but it helps when choosing between, say, a 65-inch and a 75-inch from the same series.
Scanning the box in a store or searching the model in Priced shows the street price across sellers and where the current price sits against that model's recent range, which makes it easy to see whether a Super Bowl deal is at its low or just marked as a sale. For a deeper look at reading charts, see the price history tracking guide.
Common questions
When is the Super Bowl in 2027?
Super Bowl LXI is on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It's scheduled to air on ABC and ESPN. TV sales tied to the game usually run through late January and the first part of February.
Is it better to buy a TV on Black Friday or before the Super Bowl?
Black Friday usually has the lowest prices on the most models. Pre-Super Bowl sales often bring prices back near those holiday lows, so they're a good second chance. Check the price history of the exact model to see which is better for the set you want.
When do new TV models come out?
Most major brands announce new TVs at CES in early January and release them from spring into early summer. Last year's models often drop in price around that time as stores clear inventory.
Should I buy last year's TV model?
Often, yes. Year-over-year changes are frequently small, and an outgoing model on clearance can be a much better value than the new one at launch pricing. Compare the specs and reviews of both to see what you'd give up.