The Television Buying Calendar: When Prices Actually Move, Month by Month
Television prices move in consistent seasonal patterns. Here's the month-by-month calendar of when to buy and when to wait — the reliable version, minus the hype.
Why a TV Buying Calendar Exists
Television prices move in seasonal patterns that stay remarkably consistent year to year — driven by model-year cycles, sale events, and inventory clearance. None of it is secret, but most people buy a TV when their old one dies rather than when the calendar favors them. This is a general guide to when the calendar favors you. It is reliable. It is not exciting.
The Month-by-Month Calendar
January — Super Bowl Season
Manufacturers and retailers position TVs as Super Bowl purchases, and the discounts are real regardless of whether you watch. Mid-range sets see modest cuts. A competent window, not the best.
February-March — Post-Super Bowl, New Models Announced
Prices drift back toward MSRP as Super Bowl inventory clears. New model years get announced (CES in January, retail availability by spring), which starts the slow erosion of prior-year prices. A transitional period — the prior-year models are getting interesting.
April-May — New Models Land, Prior-Year Floor
The most underappreciated window. New model-year TVs arrive at full MSRP while the prior year — usually functionally identical for typical streaming-and-cable viewing — clears at a meaningful discount. If you don't need this year's exact panel, this is where the value lives.
June-Early July — Pre-Event Inventory Pressure
Retailers clear spring inventory ahead of the mid-summer sale events, and OLED promotions in particular tend to show up here. Often the best window of the first half of the year.
Mid-July — Prime Day
Prime Day delivers some of the year's better TV discounts, with value brands (Hisense, TCL) typically seeing the largest proportional cuts and premium OLED the smallest. Competing retailers match, and Best Buy's concurrent price-match events sometimes beat Amazon on specific brands. A strong window — usually second only to Black Friday.
August — Post-Event Residual
Some mid-July pricing lingers for a week or two, then recovers gradually into September. Buy early August if you missed July; avoid late August.
September-October — The Doldrums
The weakest stretch. New-model inventory has normalized, the summer events are done, and Black Friday is weeks away. Prices sit relatively high. The move is patience, which September makes difficult and we cannot help with.
November — Black Friday
The best single window for televisions, full stop. Value brands and premium panels alike tend to hit their yearly lows, deals start the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the best prices cluster on Thanksgiving and Black Friday morning with restocking through Cyber Monday. For TVs, Black Friday is a ten-day event, not one day.
December — Diminishing Returns
Post-Black-Friday pricing stays favorable through roughly the first week, then climbs toward last-minute holiday levels. Buy early December or wait for the next Prime Day.
The Summary
Best: Black Friday. Second: Prime Day (mid-July). Third: April-May (prior-year clearing). Avoid: September.
Whatever the month, pull the price history before you buy — a "sale" that matches last month's price is a banner, not a discount.
— The BuyGetRewards Editorial Staff
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