It’s coming. In a few short days there will be football. There will be food, cheering and for some of us there may even be puppies. That’s right, this Sunday the biggest football game of the year will be playing on televisions all across the country as we cheer on our favorite team and critique the millions of dollars spent in ads. In towns and cities across the country friends and families will squeeze onto couches, spread out on the floor or stand on tippy toes, just to get a good view of it all coming through the screen of their TV.
And you know what’s crazy? Most of us wouldn’t want it any other way. In fact, according to one study by TechBargains.com, almost 60 percent of Americans would rather watch Sunday’s big game from the comfort of their couch than actually be at the stadium. That’s right, 60 percent would rather stay home and watch on their TV then be squeezed in a stadium!
As a company that takes great pride in the one device many people now consider the heart of their home, the big screen TV, we think this rocks. We love that on this glorious day of football and fun, the star of the party for many of you is your TV. With all this attention on the biggest screen in most homes, it’s no wonder many people use this time to upgrade their viewing experience. What may surprise you though is just how many people are upgrading in time for the big game. And these aren’t just numbers pulled from studies (well some are…) but we also polled all of you on Facebook to find out if all this rang true for you. Do people really upgrade their TVs just for the big game? Here’s what we found.
The short, some certainly do. According to our super scientific Facebook® poll – 16 percent of you are buying a new TV for the big game. In a slightly more scientific study done last year by the Consumer Electronics Association, 22% of people who bought a new TV last year did so just to watch the game! That’s a pretty awesome investment for a sporting event.
We think there may be more to it though. It appears that many of us are looking for a reason to break up with our TVs and this just enough motivation to push some folks over the edge. Last holiday season our team surveyed a group of television owners and found 31% are actually embarrassed by their current TV set because they see it as outdated and old fashioned. That’s a lot of embarrassment.
Fifty three percent of those folks wanted to get rid of their current TV to upgrade to a new one with better features, whether that be 3D enabled, Wi-Fi enabled with apps, or a bigger screen. Another feature for sports enthusiasts to keep in mind is a faster engine to keep up with all the flinches and out of bound calls without waiting for replays. According to Brian Siegel, the VP of Sony’s Home Division and a very knowledgeable guy in the world of electronics, if you are looking for a TV to handle the game, “240hz is the ultimate picture to make the in-game play flow smoothly and those special effect filled commercials pop”
TVs aren’t the only star of the day… Often forgotten but so very important, is your sound system. Skinnier TVs equal less room for speakers, so additions like a sound bar or surround sound system are a great call. According to our Facebook fans, at least 13 percent of you will be giving your home audio system a little boost. If you’re hosting a party think of your guests who will want to see and hear the big game.
So how about you? Are you gearing up for game day? From food to your electronics setup, we want to hear how you’re spending Sunday. In the spirit of honoring the big game weekend, we are going to give away a BDP-S580 3D Sony® Blu-ray Disc™ player to one random commenter. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us what you think is the most important part of a good football party and we’ll randomly choose a winner. Leave your comment by 9AM PST on Saturday (see the official rules below) and you’ll be entered into the giveaway. Please remember to use a valid email address when you log in so we can contact you if you win!
For those of you who need some inspiration we’ve been building out a Pinterest board full of food, deals, and drool worthy tech for Sunday’s game. Perhaps you’ll find a few last minute tidbits there to round out your entire party.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, we’ve got a tip for the 16 percent of you who are planning on upgrading your TV. Because we love you, we’ve got a couple of solid deals we want to point you to for a new TV and even some audio bundles. We figure, if you are going to break up with your TV, perhaps we can make it a little easier on you by making it just a bit less costly. Happy game day!
This post was co-written by Callan Green.
SONY BIG GAME SWEEPSTAKES
OFFICIAL SWEEPSTAKES RULES
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY
A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING
1. THE SWEEPSTAKES: The Sony Big Game Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) consists of one (1) prize for a randomly selected entrant.
2. HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Sweepstakes the entrant must post one (1) comment response to the Sony Blog post “How are you gearing up for Game Day” at blog.sony.com between 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, February 3, 2012 and 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, February 4, 2012 (the “Promotion Period”). Limit one (1) entry per person.
3. WINNERS: One (1) winner will be selected at random from valid entries and will be announced February 6, 2012. Sony’s decisions shall be final in all matters pertaining to this Sweepstakes.
4. PRIZES: There will be one 1st prize. The first prize winner will receive one (1) Sony BDP-S580 3D Blu-ray Disc® Player. All prizes in this Sweepstakes are nontransferable and non-substitutable except that Sony may, at its sole discretion, substitute a Prize or any component thereof with one of equal or greater value. Odds of winning prizes depends on number of eligible entries received.
5. ELIGIBILITY: The Sweepstakes is open only to residents of the United States who are 18 years or older at time of participation. No Sony employees, or friends or family of employees, are eligible to enter or win.
6. RELEASE: By acceptance of a Prize, the winner releases Sony from and against any and all liability and claims or causes of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property with respect to all aspects of this Sweepstakes, including those arising out of participation in this Sweepstakes, any Prize related activity whether sponsored by Sony or third parties, or the acceptance or possession or use/misuse of the Prize or any component of the Prize.
7. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Any entrant who attempts to interfere with the proper play of this Sweepstakes will be disqualified from participation in the Sweepstakes. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of this Sweepstakes, as solely determined by Sony, will be disqualified and may be subject to prosecution. If in the judgment of Sony, the Sweepstakes is compromised by viruses, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes beyond the control of Sony, which corrupt the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the Sweepstakes, Sony reserves the right, in its sole discretion to discontinue, modify, suspend or terminate the Sweepstakes and proceed in a manner it deems fair and reasonable, including the selection of winners from among eligible entries received prior to such discontinuation, modification, suspension or termination. Any personally identifiable information collected during an entrant’s participation in this Sweepstakes will be collected by Sony and used by Sony and its agents solely for purposes of the proper administration and fulfillment of the Sweepstakes as described in these Official Sweepstakes Rules or as stated in Sony’s Privacy Policy at http://products.sel.sony.com/SEL/legal/privacy.html.
ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SONY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. SONY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NONINFRINGEMENT.
8. DISPUTES: Issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Sweepstakes Rules shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware. All disputes arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes will be resolved individually, and without resort to class action. Should there be a conflict between the laws of the State of Delaware and any other laws, the conflict will be resolved in favor of the laws of the State of Delaware. All judgments or awards shall be limited to actual incurred out-of-pocket expenses (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Sweepstakes and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.
9. GENERAL: By participating in the Sweepstakes, entrants agree to these Sweepstakes Rules and the decisions of Sony, which are final and binding in all matters and all respects relating to this Sweepstakes. This Sweepstakes is void where prohibited by law. Acceptance of a Prize constitutes the winner’s consent to the use of his/her name, biographical information, photograph, and/or likeness for advertising and publicity purposes as determined by Sony or its designees without further compensation, except where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Sony is not responsible for any entries that are lost, late, undelivered, or misdelivered.
10. WINNERS LIST: For the names of the winners send your request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Sony Tablet Event Sweepstakes at 16530 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127.
Sponsor: Sony Electronics Inc., 16530 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127.
These Sweepstakes Rules may not be reprinted or republished in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Sony Electronics Inc.
Copyright 2012 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved.
