Some 38% of all US households have at least one TV set connected to the Internet via a video game system, a Blu-ray player, an Apple TV or Roku set-top box and/or the TV set itself. That’s up from 30% last year and 24% two years ago, according to the latest research from the Leichtman Research Group (LRG).
Overall, 13% of all adults watch video from the Internet on a connected device weekly as compared to 10% last year and 5% two years ago, according to LRG. Delving further into growing use of connected TVs, the Durham, NH-based market research firm found that just 4% of households are connected solely via an Internet-enabled TV set, while Apple TV and Roku set-top boxes are the only STBs in 1% of all households.
Netflix subscribers account for the largest percentage of households using connected TVs: 35% of Neflix subscribers watch Internet video via a connected device weekly as compared to 5% who do so among non-Netflix-subscriber households.
“Video is increasingly being watched on different platforms and in different places, yet these emerging video services still generally act as complements to traditional television viewing and services rather than as substitutes,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Among all adults, reported time spent watching TV is similar to last year, and there remains little evidence of a significant trend in consumers ‘cutting the cord’ to their multi-channel video services to watch video solely via these emerging services.”
These findings are based on an LRG survey of 1,251 households nationwide and are part of the firm’s, “Emerging Video Service VI,” report. Other key findings include:
- Overall, 16% of all adults use Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature weekly — compared to 12% last year, and 4% two years ago
- 79% of Netflix Watch Instantly customers use it to watch movies and television shows on a TV set, and 59% of this group access Netflix via a video game system
- 50% of Netflix subscribers are satisfied with the service, and 11% are likely to stop subscribing to Netflix in the next six months
- 7% of Netflix subscribers are likely to switch from their multi-channel video provider in the next six months — compared to 12% of non-Netflix subscribers
- 13% of Netflix subscribers would consider reducing spending on their multi-channel video service because of Netflix — compared to 21% last year
- 16% of all adults watch full length TV shows online at least weekly — compared to 12% last year, and 10% three years ago
- Among all mobile phone owners, 19% watch video on their phones weekly — compared to 15% last year, and 6% three years ago
- 9% of all adults watch video on an iPad/tablet computer weekly — compared to 2% last year
- Overall, 1.6% of households in the sample paid to subscribe to a multi-channel video service in the past year and do not currently subscribe. Yet, just 0.1% of the sample dropped service in the past year, do not plan to subscribe again in the next six months, and say that they don’t subscribe because of Netflix or because they can watch all that they want on the Internet or in other ways
