Australians aren’t just buying bigger TVs for footy finals anymore. According to Samsung Australia, more buyers are now stepping up into 98-inch and even larger screens as the lounge room becomes the preferred place to watch major sporting events.

Samsung’s internal sales data shows its TV sales jumped 20% in the lead-up to last year’s back-to-back AFL and NRL finals weekend, while sales of TVs measuring 75 inches and above increased by 27%.

For 2026, Samsung says the shift is moving even further towards ultra-large displays.

“Samsung’s 98 inch and above TV category has grown in value by over 45% year on year, making it our fastest-growing TV size segment and cementing the ultra-large screen as the new centrepiece of the Australian lounge room,” said Simon Howe, Director – Audio Visual, Samsung Australia.

“Footy finals is now a catalyst for Australians to get that big TV they’ve been craving because it helps bring stadium-like immersion to our homes.”

98-inch TVs are becoming far more accessible

There was a time when a 98-inch television was firmly exotic territory.

Samsung says its first 98-inch 8K television launched in 2019 at close to $100,000. Today, the company says the average selling price of a 98-inch TV across the Australian market is around $5,000.

At the more accessible end of Samsung’s own range, the 98-inch Crystal UHD U9000H is priced at $3,799.

At the opposite extreme sits the 115-inch Micro RGB R95F at $41,999.

Samsung has also substantially expanded the number of oversized displays in its range. In 2025 it offered four models measuring 98 inches or larger across its Neo QLED and QLED families. Its current Australian range includes eight ultra-large models spanning Micro RGB, The Frame, Neo QLED and Mini LED, with sizes extending from 98 inches through to 115 inches.

That combination of falling entry prices and broader choice is helping shift ultra-large TVs away from being purely statement products.

Australia is already one of Samsung’s strongest markets for large televisions, with the company saying Australia ranks fourth globally for the proportion of its TV sales measuring 75 inches or larger, and first in the Southern Hemisphere.

Bigger doesn’t automatically mean better

Of course, stretching an ordinary image across nearly 100 inches also makes shortcomings considerably easier to see.

Samsung argues processing becomes increasingly important as screen sizes grow, pointing to technologies such as its Supersize Picture Enhancer, which applies upscaling, noise reduction, sharpening and black-level processing to improve lower-resolution content on larger panels.

Reflections are another issue, particularly in Australian homes where large windows and strong ambient light can quickly turn a giant television into a giant mirror.

Samsung is consequently pushing its Glare-Free technology on selected models, while buyers considering a screen approaching 100 inches should also be paying close attention to room lighting, viewing distance and where the television will actually fit.

There is also the less technical problem of what a 98-inch black rectangle looks like when nobody is watching it.

Samsung’s answer includes the 98-inch version of The Frame, which uses Art Mode to display artwork while the television isn’t being actively used.

The lounge room keeps getting bigger

The timing around football finals is hardly accidental.

Major sporting events have long encouraged television upgrades, but the current generation of 98-inch displays is reaching price points where buyers considering a premium 75- or 85-inch television may realistically start looking at something substantially larger.

Samsung’s figures suggest plenty of Australians already are.

With AFL finals now complete and the NRL Grand Final taking place this Sunday, 4 October, television brands have one last major sporting weekend to convince Australians that the best seat in the house may literally require a bigger wall.

For more information, visit Samsung Australia’s television range.