It shouldn’t make sense.
Watching TV outside comes with a host of challenges: Humidity. Mosquitoes. Glare so fierce you risk losing sight of Jalen Hurts at the goal line.
And yet, people are increasingly heading to the backyard for movies, sitcoms, and sports. One industry report values the global outdoor TV market at more than $400 million in 2026 and projects annual growth of nearly 12% through 2035.
The Philadelphia region? Right on trend. According to Kim Bucholsky, office manager with All Systems Audio & Visual, the Hatboro-based company has seen a 50% uptick in outdoor installations since 2019 — “with no slowdown in sight.”
Some people are sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars into these entertainment setups; others are dragging lawn chairs and an iPad to the front stoop every time Love Island releases a new episode. The common denominator isn’t age or gender or socioeconomic status. Kids and adults, armchair quarterbacks and prestige-TV junkies, agree: There’s something special about a backyard binge.
“When the sun’s going down, the breeze is blowing, you can hear the ocean in the distance and maybe the occasional coyote, and you’re watching your favorite Philly sports team, there’s absolutely nothing better,” said Anthony Farina, a communications executive based in Cape May. “To me, this is utopia.”
So how, exactly, did the lawn usurp the living room?
Experts say the hobby gained momentum during the COVID pandemic, when families had no choice but to hunker down at home. People invested in their spaces: pools, fitness rooms, and — yes — expanded entertainment options. Even after restrictions were lifted, the stay-put mentality stuck.
“Once you sink that money in, you have less to spend outside the home,” said Kevin Gillen, an economist with the Henderson Real Estate Institute at Drexel University. “Movie theaters, which are incredibly expensive and ruined by one loud family in the room, have not rebounded since COVID.”
But backyard viewing goes beyond financial sense. It’s also the sneakiest way to sidestep a 21st-century affliction: screen-time guilt.
“There’s a lingering bias around TV,” said Emil Steiner, associate professor at Rowan University, who lives in University City and studies audience viewing habits. “The stereotype is that you’re being a lazy couch potato staring at the idiot box while cooped up inside a dark room. But watching outside in the fresh air among friends? It feels like a free pass.”
That social piece matters. Open-air viewing has a way of turning into an event — firepit glowing, grill smoking, cooler cooling. What’s really streaming is camaraderie. Recent World Cup watch parties, from Lemon Hill to suburbia, are a proof point: Alfresco airtime is a happiness booster.
“People feed off one another’s energy,” said Michael Marciante, executive director of the Partnership for Haddonfield, the town’s business improvement group. He spearheaded three viewing parties, drawing a total of 2,500 residents and visitors to a temporary screen on Kings Highway. “Outdoor viewing brings communities and neighbors together, and you can just feel the electricity.”
But before you haul your sectional onto the deck, you’ve got homework. To make the most of an outdoor viewing experience, channel surf through the following tips.
Know your why: Are you looking for romantic date nights? Neighborhood gatherings? Family bonding? Will this be a one-off thing or a permanent setup? Is your preference ultra-luxe or a bit more rustic? Zach Kades, who’s been hosting watch parties as an event manager at Soccer Post Cherry Hill, said his own home setup in Bryn Mawr involves little more than a projector and the back wall of his garage, because he likes the nostalgic, “camplike feel” it brings to a night with friends. Knowing your goal will make choosing your gear easier.
Try it out: Before his family gifted him a new TV for the front porch and a permanent mounting system, Farina spent four years carting his flat-screen and a trusty coffee table back and forth from the living room on a near-daily basis, a ritual he calls a “labor of love.” While your trial period doesn’t need to last that long, Farina does recommend a test run with your existing screen. “Notice whether people rally around it,” he said. “See if you feel the joy.”
Set your limit: Technically, you can make this work for the cost of a thrifted projector and a bedsheet flung over a fence. Or you can take the Jim Malamut route and spend more than $500,000 creating an oasis: “I call it my midlife crisis,” he said.
The mortgage lender purchased an overgrown lot behind his Linwood home and spent about three years converting it into a pool-and-bar retreat complete with three TVs (two at 98 inches and one at 75) for watching multiple games at once. No matter where on the spectrum you fall, the important thing is to know your financial cap “and stick to it,” Malamut said, “or things can get crazy fast.”
Research your tech: Purists will die on this hill: Your screen needs to be outdoor rated to fight glare with premium LED technology even in direct sunlight and withstand the elements longer than a few seasons. Others swear by less expensive, indoor screens that are shaded during viewing and protected with a water-resistant cover when not in use. Whatever you choose for your specific space, you’ll want to run a simple internet test: Stream a program from your phone or laptop in the designated spot, and see if Wi-Fi can handle the job or if hard-wired Ethernet is the better, no-buffer option. Ensure any required cables are made for outside use.
Bug off: Mantua resident Cori Laphan loves her “outdoor living room” at the Driftwood Too Camping Resort in Cape May Court House, complete with fire pit, grilling station and 55-inch TV. Only problem: things that bite. To keep the gnats, mosquitoes and greenheads at bay, she staged an offensive campaign: tiki torches, citronella candles, fans, even coffee grounds — TikTok wisdom holds that lighting them on fire inside a metal canister is a natural deterrent. Laphan, a senior-living salesperson, also took an empty planter to a local garden center with one instruction: Fill it with bug-repelling plants. “We’ve done everything imaginable,” she said. “Insects love me, and I’m still able to be outside much of the time.”
Get resourceful: If you don’t call in a team of home-theater professionals, creativity is key. Laphan’s brother-in-law, Jon Morad, reimagined a cutout in the side of a Home Depot shed intended for firewood — it now serves as an entertainment console that shades the family’s TV and offers some protection from the elements. “You have to think outside the box,” said Morad, a hospital maintenance supervisor.
In Glenside, another family built a mount for their backyard projector screen out of a PVC pipe and some carabiners — neighborhood kids sit on one side while adults watch on the other, reverse-image and all. “Our setup is definitely makeshift,” said physical therapist Emily Kelly. “But I think it feels more genuine that way.”
Learn the rules: Municipalities, HOAs, campgrounds … they all play by their own noise rules. According to Philadelphia code, your true-crime documentary or Hallmark movie marathon cannot exceed “three decibels above background level measured beyond the property boundary.” Translation: If your block’s typical soundtrack is the hum of traffic, your TV can raise that only slightly.
Kate Evans and her wife, a Philadelphia police officer, built a roofed pergola for watching games and movies behind their Roxborough rowhouse. They recommend investing in a soundbar, which aims audio directly at viewers so that sound doesn’t wander. “We don’t need to blare our TV,” Evans said. Be sure to check the relevant code books and, if in doubt, purchase a basic sound-level meter to ensure you’re in compliance.
Be a good neighbor: Even if you’re operating within the law, outdoor TV enthusiasts risk alienating neighbors who won’t appreciate the glow of a flat-screen after dark. Head off any tension early by inviting them over for a viewing. Or, at the very least, Farina advises: “Keep your emotions in check while watching Philly sports,” he said. “I know that’s tough to do.”
