Smart TVs clearly are making headway in the United States, according to new research from Parks Associates. The firm found that 77% of these devices are connected to the Internet – an increase from 62% since 2014—and that more than 70% of broadband households own at least one streaming entertainment device. Half the households surveyed own a smart TV.
The figures come from “360 Deep Dive: Demand and Perception of Connected TVs,” a study that was based on a survey of 10,000 broadband households.
“Manufacturers have invested in improvements to the app and user experience on their smart TVs and are being rewarded with higher connection rates, which keeps the user within their ecosystem,” Kristen Hanich, Parks Associates’ Senior Analyst, said in a press release. “Higher connection rates result in greater opportunity in monetizing the user base, which is increasingly important as manufacturers and software providers look to extend into subscriptions and ad-supported OTT video services, such as Samsung’s new ad-supported video service Samsung TV Plus. We will see a lot of announcements at CES this year focused on delivering a superior user experience to keep consumers in their ecosystem.”
The firm found that 90% of broadband households own one or more televisions. Forty percent own a basic television only. The portion preparing for 4K is growing: 33% owned a television with 4K video support during quarter one – and now 56% own such a set. Finally, the firm found that households with children purchase smart TVs at two times the rate as those without kids in the house. The current dynamic, Hanich said in the press release, is that overall television ownership is starting to decline while smart TV ownership grows. The trends may accelerate as Generation Z, which has different entertainment delivery and consumption preferences mature.
