When to buy a TV for less: a month-by-month guide

The best time to buy a TV is usually around Black Friday (late November), during the January sales and in spring, when new models reach the shops and last year's range gets cleared. The weeks right after a new model launches, on the other hand, tend to be the most expensive time to buy that model. The smartest approach: pick your TV early and watch its price for a few weeks before you buy.

Best month to buy a TV: the calendar

This table sums up the usual patterns in the French and wider European TV market. Treat it as qualitative guidance: a specific model can drop outside these windows, or not drop at all during a sales event.

Month	Rating	Why
January	Good	Winter sales and clearance of last year's models; brands unveil their new ranges at CES.
February	Average	Sales wind down, final markdowns on shrinking stock.
March – April	Average to good	New ranges start arriving (timing varies by brand); older models drop.
May – June	Good	Clearance of the outgoing range, spring promotions, Prime Day in some years, French summer sales from late June.
July	Average	Summer sales; last units of older models, narrower choice.
August	Average	Quiet period; a few end-of-stock deals.
September	Average	Back-to-school events such as French Days; a good month to note prices.
October	Average	Amazon's autumn event in some years; record your model's price before November.
November	Good	Black Friday and Cyber Monday: current-year models are often well priced, but check each deal.
December	Average	Strong pre-Christmas demand; some offers carried over from Black Friday.

For other products, see our general calendar of the best times to buy.

The new model cycle: why spring pushes prices down

TVs are sold in model years. Every year, the big brands show their new lineups early in the year, notably at CES in Las Vegas (the 2027 show is scheduled for 6 to 9 January 2027), then roll them out gradually, often between spring and summer depending on the brand and screen size.

To make room, retailers clear the previous year's models. That's often where the best deal hides: a TV launched a year earlier, technically very close to its successor, selling well below its launch price. A model that has just come out, by contrast, is generally at its highest price; it tends to settle over the following months, up to the big year-end events.

Old model or new: what do you really lose?

From one generation to the next, changes often involve image processing, brightness, the interface or a few software features. Before paying extra for the new one, compare both spec sheets line by line: panel type (LED, Mini LED, OLED…), native refresh rate, number of HDMI 2.1 ports if you game on a console, supported HDR formats. If the differences don't matter to you, the older model is the rational choice. Watch the stock, though: once it runs out, the price doesn't drop any further, the TV simply disappears.

Winter sales 2027: the clearance window

In France, the 2027 winter sales start on Wednesday 6 January 2027 and run for four weeks, until 2 February 2027, except in a few départements with their own dates. It's a good time for last year's TVs, display models and end-of-line stock. Our winter sales 2027 guide explains how the markdowns work.

A useful habit: compare the sale price with the previous Black Friday. A TV isn't always cheaper in January than in November, and only a price history will tell you.

World Cup, Euros: should you buy a TV before a big tournament?

Major sporting events usually trigger "football special" campaigns in the weeks before kick-off. The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, ran from 11 June to 19 July 2026; the next big European football event is Euro 2028, planned for June and July 2028.

Those campaigns don't automatically mean rock-bottom prices: demand rises too, and some "deals" simply repeat prices seen before. If you want a TV for a tournament, start tracking the price two to three months ahead: you'll know whether the promotion is real, and you'll avoid a last-minute purchase when the most popular sizes can sell out.

Are Black Friday TV deals really cheaper?

Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November, followed by Cyber Monday on 30 November. TVs are one of the event's headline products, and it's often a good time for current-year models. But not every discount is equal: some prices creep up in the weeks before, and some "deals" are just the model's usual price.

In France, since 28 May 2022, the reference price for a discount must in principle be the lowest price charged over the previous 30 days (article L112-1-1 of the Consumer Code, based on the EU Omnibus directive). That limits abuse, but it doesn't tell you whether the price is low over the year. Our articles on the 30-day rule and on how to spot a fake discount give you the method, and our Black Friday 2026 guide covers the whole event.

Choose the right TV before waiting for a drop

Timing only pays off if you're watching the right model. Settle your criteria first:

• Size: matched to your viewing distance and TV stand. One size up can cost a lot more; compare both sizes over time.
• Panel technology: OLED for deep blacks, LED or Mini LED for brightness in a bright room.
• Gaming: HDMI 2.1 ports, 120 Hz and VRR if you plug in a recent console.
• Smart platform: available apps and how long the brand says it will provide software updates.
• Energy label: since 1 March 2021, the EU label uses an A to G scale and shows consumption in both SDR and HDR modes.

Costs people forget

Compare the delivered price, including any installation or wall mounting. In France, the seller must take back your old TV for free when you buy an equivalent new one (the "one-for-one" rule for electrical equipment). The two-year legal guarantee of conformity applies anyway across the EU, so an extended warranty is optional.

What tracking a TV price by hand really costs

On a TV, the gap between a good and a bad moment can be significant. Purely hypothetical example: if a TV listed at €1,000 spends a few days at €850 and then goes back up, missing that window means paying €150 more for the same product. Those drops are often short, and nobody checks three product pages every day for two months.

That's exactly what UniverTrack does for you. Paste the TV's link (Amazon, Cdiscount, and other retailer sites on a best-effort basis), the price is checked automatically, a dated history builds up (on Amazon, past history can also be shown) and a "good time to buy" indicator tells you whether today's price is worth it. For how alerts work, see our guide to setting a price drop alert.

Put it into practice: buy your TV at the right price

1. Paste the link of the TV you want (and the next size up if you're unsure) into UniverTrack.
2. Set a target price that's realistic, using the price history and the calendar above.
3. Get the email alert when the price hits your target, then buy with confidence.

For a single big purchase like a TV, the Découverte plan (€3.99/month, up to 10 products) is plenty. If you want to compare the same TV across several retailers on one product page, the Pro plan is built for that. Full details are on the pricing page, and every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no commitment.