August 12, 2026
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Will Best Buy’s RGB LED TV Push Actually Convince Consumers To Upgrade?
It’s been a bit of an ongoing thread within retail discussions around tech products for some time, with a late 2025 TVWatch piece by Wayne Friedman putting it most simply: TV sales are flat or down, and have been for some time. Consumers appear to be quite content with their current television setups, but Best Buy isn’t taking the status quo sitting down — instead, pushing for shoppers to buy in on a new display technology that could drive sales.
As Modern Retail’s Mitchell Parton reported, Best Buy is betting big on a “new generation” of RGB LED TVs in the hopes that consumers will be convinced to splash out the cash necessary to invite a new television into the living room (or bedroom, etc.).
“The company said in June it had introduced the new TVs to stores and is the only national retailer to carry such TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL and Hisense — though this excludes manufacturers’ websites and regional retailers,” Parton wrote, noting that these TVs are able to display more than three-quarters (76%) of all colors visible to the human eye, have the capacity for more lifelike images, are brighter than any existing competitors, offer superior viewing angles, and feature cutting-edge AI upscaling.
Other quick notes pulled from Parton’s report:
- Best Buy believes it can leverage a natural upgrade cycle to incite the buy: “The upgrade cycle is somewhere between five and seven years, so we’re getting to that point where we have a lot of customers that have products that are ready to upgrade, and there’s a new technology that’s being introduced that can be accessible to a lot of customers,” said incoming Best Buy CEO Jason Bonfig.
- Internal surveys suggest Best Buy could be right: An internal survey conducted by the retailer indicates that 72% of those polled are likely to buy an RGB LED TV as their next television set. With Best Buy holding current exclusivity (at least in broad strokes), this could be a major win for the company.
- Best Buy is differentiating through luxury models: While Walmart and Target do sell some TVs based on mid-level and entry-level products, per GlobalData’s Retail managing director and RetailWire BrainTrust panelist Neil Saunders, Best Buy is targeting the enthusiast set, with RGB TVs coming in at $1,200 for a 55-inch model up through $30,000 for an 115-inch display.
The OLED vs RGB LED TV battle is finally hotting up — here’s what I found by testing the 5-star LG C6 against the new Sony Bravia, side by side https://t.co/hA50f5auzN
— TechRadar (@techradar) July 30, 2026
How Convincing Will Best Buy’s TV Push Be For Consumers Across Income, Interest Levels?
All in all, analyst perspectives were mixed on whether this gambit would produce significant upside. Saunders said there would be at least some upside — although the question of how much was left on the table — while Paul Gagnon, VP and consumer technology analyst for Circana, said there could be some traction in premium price tiers.
All the different improvements in LCD television technology have been aimed at being more competitive in performance against these OLEDs, especially in the more premium price tiers, where consumers … care more about picture quality,” Gagnon said.
“If you live in a high-rise apartment building in New York and you get sun blasting through your window at the end of the day while you’re trying to watch TV, then that becomes an important factor,” he added.
BrainTrust
Nicholas Morine
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
In your opinion, is Best Buy correctly positioning itself for when the TV market comes back online? Will entry-level and mid-level consumers buy in, too?
Do you believe consumers will hold to the standard 5-7 year TV lifecycle given the current economic environment and what some shoppers may perceive to be “good enough” picture quality already at home?
Can Walmart, Target, and other retailers shoulder in on Best Buy to squeeze some of the premium TV market, or are shoppers already attuned to think of Best Buy first?
Poll
Electronics is a category we track closely and, from our consumer data, there is some interest in the new televisions. However, that interest isn’t big enough to completely transform the TV market. The improvements are too incremental, and budgets remain too tight to produce a stampede of new TV buyers. However, Best Buy’s exclusivity deal on selling the new TVs is helpful as it will allow it to capture more of the market. The replacement cycle for TVs purchased during the pandemic is now kicking in (though it is more prolonged than previous cycles) and anyone who wants to review the RGB options will need to head to Best Buy.
Consumers don’t value picture quality the way TV makers wish they did. Other factors related to TVs are far more compelling. For example, the rush to upgrade to flat screens was helped by picture quality but motivated far more by giving homeowners a way to get a larger screen they could also move easily. (Remember those god-awful boat anchor 32″ TV’s of the 1990s?)
I’ve done considerable consumer research into entertainment electronics over the past 35 years and continually find consumers to be little motivated by picture quality. Thus, DirecTV (a client) didn’t sell well to the mass market until they offered a programming advantage (NFL Sunday Ticket). TiVO should have sold far better but they never told consumers about their programming advantage.
I always wish BestBuy well. But there’s nothing I’ve seen to suggest this effort can make more than only some advantage.
RGB LED is a step forward in picture quality, but for most consumers the jump isn’t big enough to justify the spend. I see enthusiasts being excited to upgrade, but the average household might be a harder sell, especially given current economic conditions.
The technology is real; the exclusivity is smarter. Best Buy isn’t just selling a better TV; it’s the only place a serious buyer can see one in person, nationally. That’s not a coincidence. Manufacturers chose Best Buy because a $1,200 TV sitting next to a $299 model at a mass merchant, with no trained staff, gets commoditized before the category forms. Premium technologies need controlled launches. Yet, the exclusive window is one year, which makes this a race, not a moat. Best Buy has to convert enough buyers before Costco and others get access and price pressure begins. The 72% internal survey measures Best Buy’s potential, not the market’s. In-store execution will tell the story.
Best Buy’s opportunity is less about waiting for the replacement cycle and more about creating the reason to upgrade.
Most consumers are not sitting at home unhappy with their TV. “Good enough” is a powerful competitor. So better color, brightness and viewing angles have to become tangible in the store. Side by side. Same content. Immediate contrast.
That is where Best Buy has an advantage. This is a category where the physical experience can create desire in a way a spec sheet cannot.
Premium shoppers will move first. Entry and mid level consumers will follow when the value becomes obvious enough to justify the spend.
The upgrade cycle creates the opportunity. The experience creates the sale.
If you’re a TV aficionado, then the latest and greatest will always be of interest. However, there’s a price that comes with that. Whatever you buy this year will be next year’s “last year’s model,” which typically comes at a lower price.
All that said, if Best Buy truly has exclusivity on these higher-end TVs, that is going to attract attention. In addition, according to the article, the TV life cycle of five to seven years before people want to buy a new TV means this exclusivity and any type of special promotion can help increase sales.
My final comment is that economics will influence buying a new TV. If somebody has a five-year-old premium TV that’s still working and finances are tight, I doubt that this latest improved TV experience will be enough for someone to make an unnecessary purchase.
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Electronics is a category we track closely and, from our consumer data, there is some interest in the new televisions. However, that interest isn’t big enough to completely transform the TV market. The improvements are too incremental, and budgets remain too tight to produce a stampede of new TV buyers. However, Best Buy’s exclusivity deal on selling the new TVs is helpful as it will allow it to capture more of the market. The replacement cycle for TVs purchased during the pandemic is now kicking in (though it is more prolonged than previous cycles) and anyone who wants to review the RGB options will need to head to Best Buy.
Consumers don’t value picture quality the way TV makers wish they did. Other factors related to TVs are far more compelling. For example, the rush to upgrade to flat screens was helped by picture quality but motivated far more by giving homeowners a way to get a larger screen they could also move easily. (Remember those god-awful boat anchor 32″ TV’s of the 1990s?)
I’ve done considerable consumer research into entertainment electronics over the past 35 years and continually find consumers to be little motivated by picture quality. Thus, DirecTV (a client) didn’t sell well to the mass market until they offered a programming advantage (NFL Sunday Ticket). TiVO should have sold far better but they never told consumers about their programming advantage.
I always wish BestBuy well. But there’s nothing I’ve seen to suggest this effort can make more than only some advantage.
RGB LED is a step forward in picture quality, but for most consumers the jump isn’t big enough to justify the spend. I see enthusiasts being excited to upgrade, but the average household might be a harder sell, especially given current economic conditions.
The technology is real; the exclusivity is smarter. Best Buy isn’t just selling a better TV; it’s the only place a serious buyer can see one in person, nationally. That’s not a coincidence. Manufacturers chose Best Buy because a $1,200 TV sitting next to a $299 model at a mass merchant, with no trained staff, gets commoditized before the category forms. Premium technologies need controlled launches. Yet, the exclusive window is one year, which makes this a race, not a moat. Best Buy has to convert enough buyers before Costco and others get access and price pressure begins. The 72% internal survey measures Best Buy’s potential, not the market’s. In-store execution will tell the story.
Best Buy’s opportunity is less about waiting for the replacement cycle and more about creating the reason to upgrade.
Most consumers are not sitting at home unhappy with their TV. “Good enough” is a powerful competitor. So better color, brightness and viewing angles have to become tangible in the store. Side by side. Same content. Immediate contrast.
That is where Best Buy has an advantage. This is a category where the physical experience can create desire in a way a spec sheet cannot.
Premium shoppers will move first. Entry and mid level consumers will follow when the value becomes obvious enough to justify the spend.
The upgrade cycle creates the opportunity. The experience creates the sale.
If you’re a TV aficionado, then the latest and greatest will always be of interest. However, there’s a price that comes with that. Whatever you buy this year will be next year’s “last year’s model,” which typically comes at a lower price.
All that said, if Best Buy truly has exclusivity on these higher-end TVs, that is going to attract attention. In addition, according to the article, the TV life cycle of five to seven years before people want to buy a new TV means this exclusivity and any type of special promotion can help increase sales.
My final comment is that economics will influence buying a new TV. If somebody has a five-year-old premium TV that’s still working and finances are tight, I doubt that this latest improved TV experience will be enough for someone to make an unnecessary purchase.