Looking for a deal on a flat-panel TV? Super Bowl heralds no game-changers

If you’re determined to watch the Super Bowl on a new flat-panel TV on Sunday, you should know that the blitz of last-minute deals that retailers are touting this week won’t match the savings that you’d get at other times this year.

Ben Arnold, who is an analyst with Display Search, says most Super Bowl-related discounts for flat-panel TVs will fall in the range of 10 percent to 15 percent. But deals for the latest 2012 LCD TV models (which are considered to have the most desirable technology) typically fall in the low end of that range, Arnold says. The high end of the discount range includes 2011 models and plasma-display models.

Consumers Digest found that retailers advertise $150–$600 in savings for many 46-inch to 60-inch TVs. However, these deals pale in comparison to the deals that you’d get during the holiday shopping season, Arnold says. For example, the average discount on TVs last November and December was $700–$800, he says.

In other words, when it comes to getting a great deal on TVs, Santa Claus still trumps the Super Bowl. But if you still are tempted to splurge before the big game, check out our report, “TV Ratings: Getting the Big Picture,” in the September/October 2011 issue.

– K. Fanuko