NEW YORK (AP) -- Consumers might be worried about a possible recession, but that's not stopping them from spending on televisions and furniture for Super Bowl XLII, according to a recent survey.
Consumers plan to buy 3.9 million televisions to watch this year's battle between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, up more than 50 percent from a year ago. Individuals in the 18-24 age range look to be the biggest purchasers, with one in 10 planning to buy a TV for the sports telecast, the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association said.
The Super Bowl is expected to be the most-watched program of the year. Last year's game drew in 93.2 million viewers, slightly down from the Super Bowl's all-time record of 94.1 million viewers set in 1996.
While TV purchases are always a hot topic prior to the big game, furniture sales often see a boost as well. Furniture purchases are expected to climb to 1.8 million pieces sold from 1.3 million last year. Total Super Bowl spending is targeted to reach $9.5 billion, according to the RAMA poll.
In years past consumers traditionally made TV and furniture purchases before the Super Bowl in preparation for viewing parties. While many have tightened spending recently on recession fears, eroding credit and the continued housing downturn, retailers are looking to pull in shoppers with discounts and promotions to offset weak holiday sales.
"Retailers will be courting consumers with their very best deals on electronics, furniture and even food in anticipation of the Super Bowl," RAMA Executive Director Mike Gatti said in a statement.
RAMA's consumer intentions and actions survey was performed by BIGresearch between Jan. 2 through Jan. 8 and included results from 8,447 consumers. The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association is a unit of the National Retail Federation.
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