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This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
Every year, TV makers flock to CES in Las Vegas to show off bigger, brighter, and better-looking displays. And every year, the same companies also use the show to throw a bunch of spaghetti against the wall as they try to figure out how to sell those big TV sets to consumers busy watching TikTok videos on their phones.
In recent years, TVs have gotten cameras for video chats and AI-powered workouts. They became cloud-powered game consoles, smart home hubs, and art displays. Two years ago, Samsung even wanted to convince people that their television would be a great telehealth platform — for pets.
I’m in Las Vegas this week, walking the show floor and talking to industry executives to find out what’s next for TVs. Not in terms of picture quality and quantum dot technology, but with regard to the apps running on these devices, the platforms making them work, and the bells and whistles manufacturers resort to to make us look up from our phones.
Here’s what I found.
TV sales are flat, so everyone is betting on what works
It’s been a rough few years for the TV industry. Covid messed with supply chains, tariff threats added a lot of uncertainty, and fears of an economic downturn have consumers rethinking big purchases. As a result, TV sales have stagnated. Global TV shipments declined 0.6 percent year over year in Q3, according to Omdia.
In that environment, many TV makers are betting on what works, which is why everyone is now making art TVs. Samsung invented the category with its Frame TV close to a decade ago, and surpassed 1 million in annual sales of art TVs in 2021. Since then, Hisense, TCL, and many others have copied the concept. Just this week, Amazon introduced its own Artline TV at CES.
“TVs are often big portions of the rooms they’re in,” says Fire TV VP Aidan Marcuss when asked about the success of this category. “I think these devices look great in those rooms. They become a part of the furniture of the room.”
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