A frenzy of consumer purchasing of HDTV displays could result in 2.5 million new sets being sold in the United States prior to the 2007 Super Bowl on Feb. 4, a new survey predicted.
That's up from the 1.7 million who had the same buying plans a year ago.
According to the survey from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), consumers plan on spending an average of $56 on Super Bowl-related merchandise, up from last year's $37. Total spending for the Super Bowl is expected to reach $8.7 billion.
The survey also says that 69.7 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the Super Bowl, compared with 65.9 percent last year. Of those who will be celebrating, 69.3 percent will be purchasing food and beverages and 6.3 percent will buy team apparel and accessories. In anticipation of the big day, 1.3 million consumers plan to buy new furniture, including new home entertainment centers.
While Americans say the game itself is still the most important part of the Super Bowl (32.1 percent), more than 40 million consumers (18.1 percent) said they would tune in because of the commercials. The 18-24 (22.2 percent) and 25-34 (26.3 percent) age groups will be most likely to pay attention to the advertisements, compared to last year when 18.5 percent and 19.3 percent (respectively) said the commercials were most important.
