Chinese have bigger ones than Americans, flat screen television sets that is. During China’s Golden Week, a national holiday that requires a frenzy of consumerism, like a similar holiday I could mention, consumers scooped up big screen television, with the majority being larger that 37 inches, well above the average screen size purchased in the U.S.
“China is on average buying the biggest TVs in the world,” said Paul Peng, executive vice-president at AU Optronics, the world’s third-biggest flat-panel maker. Henry Wang, general manager of WitsView, a research firm, said the average screen size of LCD TVs sold in China had risen from 33.6 inches in September mainly because of a strong marketing push for 42-inch TVs by Chinese vendors.
In North America, the average size of TVs sold this year was 33.14 inches, down from 33.29 inches last yearaySearch. The global average is 32.83 inches this year.
While recession-stricken consumers in US and Europe are scaling back on ostentatious purchases, Chinese consumers, spurred by government stimulus measures such as rebates on home appliances, have given retailers at home a bumper holiday.
Official government data showed 26m TV sets were sold in China between September 26 and October 8, 120 per cent more than last year.
China’s fast-growing flat-screen TV market makes up nearly a fifth of the global market, and is expected to soon overtake the US as the world’s biggest.
Chinese vehicle sales are outpacing the US this year, because of the severe downturn in the American market.
Chinese consumption remains low as a percentage of economic output but the growth in the numbers of people with the capacity to spend is now having a transformative impact on many sectors.