Best Time to Buy a TV in the UK: Month-by-Month Guide

Shopper checking prices beside a television

The best time to buy a TV in the UK is usually spring, when last year’s models are cleared to make room for new ones, or Black Friday in late November, when retailers compete hardest on mainstream sizes. Neither is automatically cheaper. The real answer is the moment a well-reviewed set that suits your room reaches a price you can verify as genuinely low. This guide shows where those moments fall in the year, which sales are worth your time, and how to avoid paying over the odds for a set that was never a bargain.

It is mid-October as we write, so Black Friday is only weeks away. If you need a TV before Christmas, the timing section below will help you decide whether to wait or buy now.

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TL;DR

  • Spring (March to June) is the best time for value: older flagship models drop in price as new ranges arrive.
  • Black Friday and Cyber Monday are best for popular mainstream sizes, but only if the discount is real. Check price history first.
  • A big discount on a bad TV is still a bad TV. Which? regularly names sale models it tells shoppers not to buy, so read independent reviews before you pay.
  • Don’t wait forever. If a good set that fits your budget appears at a verified low price, that is your best time.

Table of Contents

How TV prices move through the year

TV prices follow a fairly predictable cycle, because manufacturers launch new ranges at roughly the same time each year and retailers need to clear the old stock. Which? notes that retailers rotate stock to make way for new models arriving between March and July, which is why last year’s flagship so often becomes the better buy.

On top of that, there are big sales events (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day) and big sporting occasions, when demand for large screens peaks and retailers promote them heavily. What Hi-Fi sums up the pattern as three good windows: sales events, spring, and major sporting events.

Here is how that looks across the calendar. Treat it as a guide to likelihood, not a promise, since individual models behave differently.

Period What usually happens Best for
January to February Post-Christmas clearances and early-year offers Bargain hunters who are flexible on model
March to June New ranges launch, previous year’s models are marked down Best value on high-end sets
July Summer sales and big online sale events Mid-range sets, if you shop around
September to October Typically quieter, with moderate prices Waiting for Black Friday
Late November Black Friday and Cyber Monday Popular mainstream sizes and well-known models
December Pre-Christmas offers and Boxing Day sales Last-minute buyers who know what they want

The month pattern broadly matches idealo’s analysis of TV prices, which lists February to April and November to December as good months, with January, September and October as moderate.

Spring: the value sweet spot

If you want the most TV for your money and you are not fussed about owning the newest model, spring is the time to look. New ranges are typically announced and released between roughly March and July, and retailers start discounting the outgoing models to free up shelf space and warehouse room.

The reason this works so well is that TV upgrades are often incremental. A model one year older usually has the same panel type, similar processing and almost identical smart features. The newer set may add a little more brightness or a tweaked processor, which you will rarely notice from the sofa. Paying launch prices for that is usually poor value.

Idealo’s price analysis suggests spring clearances can cut up to 40% off flagship models, though the saving depends on the model and the retailer. Which? also says TVs release in spring and steadily drop in price after that, which is a useful reminder that the discount does not arrive in one go. It builds over the months.

When spring suits you best:

  • You want a premium OLED or mini-LED set without the premium price.
  • You are happy with a model that is 12 months old.
  • You can wait until the spring and early summer window, rather than needing a TV this month.

Limits to bear in mind: stock of the most popular sizes can run low as the clearance goes on, and the last units of a range are not always the cheapest.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

TVs are one of the most-shopped items on Black Friday, and Which? says there are big discounts on numerous models from November onwards. Mainstream sizes from well-known brands are where the competition between retailers is fiercest. Idealo’s analysis puts Black Friday discounts of up to 50% on popular sizes and mainstream models within reach, though headline percentages are the maximum, not the average.

Black Friday works well if:

  • You want a popular size, such as a 55-inch or 65-inch set, from a mainstream range.
  • You have already chosen two or three models and know their normal prices.
  • You will be buying a Christmas present or a family TV and the deadline is firm.

It works badly if you walk in with no idea of the usual price. That brings us to the biggest trap of the season.

The inflated “was” price

A large percentage off means little if the original price was never really charged. Which? has warned shoppers to check price history, as some retailers push prices up just before major sales so the discount looks bigger. The only defence is knowing what the TV cost in the weeks and months before.

Boxing Day and January: bargains with a catch

The weeks after Christmas are traditionally another chance to pick up a TV for less, particularly on older stock and ranges that did not sell well. The catch is that some of the biggest reductions are on sets retailers want rid of, which may be for good reason. Choice can also be thinner, especially in popular sizes.

If you are comfortable buying a specific model you already researched, January can be excellent. If you are browsing without a shortlist, you are more likely to be steered towards whatever is being cleared.

Big sporting events

Major tournaments tend to bring promotions on large screens in the weeks beforehand, because retailers know many households upgrade for the big match. What Hi-Fi lists big sporting events as one of the three best times to buy. The caveat is that you are shopping when demand is high, so check that the offer beats the price the same TV was at a month earlier.

The cheapest TV is not always the best deal

This is the part many buyers skip. A low price only helps if the television is any good.

Which? has repeatedly identified sale models that performed badly in its lab tests. In 2023 it gave a Don’t Buy verdict to a 43-inch Philips model on sale at £369, citing problems with motion where moving objects streaked across the screen. Its Black Friday warnings from November 2025 again urged shoppers not to be tempted by steep discounts on poorly performing sets.

So before you buy:

  1. Note the exact model number, not only the brand and size.
  2. Search for independent reviews of that exact model.
  3. Check what it has cost over the past few months.
  4. Only then compare the sale price with the alternatives.

How to tell if a TV deal is genuine

Good timing is only half the job. You also need evidence that today’s price is low. Here is a simple routine.

  1. Pick two or three candidate models. Choose them on reviews and fit for your room, not on price.
  2. Record the usual price. Note what each costs at several retailers before any sale starts.
  3. Set price alerts. Rather than checking every day, let the price come to you.
  4. Compare the final price, not the discount. A 30% reduction from an inflated price can still cost more than a 15% reduction from an honest one.
  5. Check delivery, returns and warranty. Large TVs are awkward to send back, so know the terms before you pay.

Which? also suggests using price-comparison tools to see price history and checking whether a retailer offers a price-match promise. If you want more on this, our guides on comparing prices online and seeing 365 days of Amazon UK price history go into the detail.

So when should you actually buy?

Use this as a decision guide:

  • You can wait until spring: aim for March to June and target last year’s flagship.
  • You need a TV before Christmas: shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but only with a shortlist and price history in hand. Our Black Friday gift deals guide covers how to approach the sales.
  • Your TV has just broken: don’t hold out for a perfect sale. A good set at a verified fair price beats weeks without a screen.
  • You are buying as a gift: reserve the model on a shared list so nobody else buys it (more on that below).

One point from the research is worth repeating. Experts at Which? advise against being rushed by event sales and suggest that patience, waiting for a model’s natural end of life, often gets the lowest price. The calendar is a guide. Your shortlist is the plan.

Our view: stop timing the market, start tracking the price

We built WantThis because gift-buying and big purchases share the same problem: you see a price today and have no idea whether it is good. TVs are the clearest example. They are expensive, the price changes often, and the sales are loud.

Our advice is simple. Decide which two or three TVs you would be happy with, then watch them rather than the calendar. Put them on a list, set an alert, and let the price tell you when to act. If a set drops in a spring clearance, you will see it. If a Black Friday deal is only a return to the usual price, you will see that too, and you can skip it without regret.

Our view: stop timing the market, start tracking the price — overview diagram

This approach also takes the pressure off. Event sales are designed to create urgency, but a tracked price with a history gives you something firmer than a countdown timer. And if the TV is a family present, a shared list means nobody doubles up and nobody ruins the surprise.

A caution from us: price tracking tells you about price, not quality. Always pair it with independent reviews of the exact model before you buy.

— Stuart

Track your TV’s price with WantThis

Paste a link to any TV from any online retailer into WantThis and we pull in the title, image and current price. You can then track price drops with alerts and price history across 30+ UK retailers, and see whether a Black Friday price is genuinely low. It is free to use. Start from the WantThis homepage, or read how our price drop alerts work.

Buying a TV for someone else? Add it to a shared list and send it to friends and family, who can privately reserve it so only one person buys.

FAQ

What is the best month to buy a TV in the UK?

For value, spring, from March to June, is usually the best window, because last year’s models are discounted as new ones arrive. For sheer volume of deals on popular sizes, November is hard to beat. February, March, April, November and December are all rated good months in idealo’s analysis.

When do TVs go on sale in the UK?

The main moments are the spring clearance as new ranges launch, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in late November, and the Boxing Day and January sales. Sporting events can also bring promotions. Individual models may be discounted at other times, so tracking a specific TV is more reliable than relying on the calendar.

Is Black Friday really the cheapest time to buy a TV?

It can be, particularly for mainstream models, but it is not guaranteed. Which? has warned that some retailers raise prices ahead of sales to make discounts look larger. Check the price history, and compare it with spring prices for the same set if you can.

Should I buy last year’s TV model or the new one?

For most people, last year’s. Upgrades between generations are often small, so a previous-year flagship at a clearance price usually gives better value than a new model at launch price. If you want a particular new feature, check that it is not simply a minor tweak.

Should I wait for a sale if my TV has stopped working?

Not for long. If you need a TV now, shop with a shortlist of reviewed models and buy when one hits a price you have checked is fair. A week or two of price alerts can be enough to catch a good drop without going without.

Sources

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