Seventy-four percent of U.S. TV households have one or more devices connected to the Internet, according to new smart TV research from Leichtman Research Group. This compares with 65% in 2016, 44% in 2013 and 24% in 2010.
The firm also found that 29% of adults in U.S. TV households use a connected device daily. This was up from 19% in 2016, 6% in 2013 and 1% in 2010. The age of users breaks down as would be expected: 43% of 18- to 34- year-olds use such devices. Penetration sinks to 33% among 35 to 54-year-olds and 12% of those over 55 years-old.
Smart TV Research
“Connected TVs, along with Netflix and other SVOD services, are among the biggest factors driving change in the video industry over the past few years,” Bruce Leichtman, the president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, said in a press release. “In a short period of time, connected devices have allowed an increasing number of consumers to easily watch SVOD and other video options on the same TV screen as traditional pay-TV and broadcast offerings.”
Other finds from the report:
- About 29% of all TVs in U.S. households are connected Smart TVs – an increase from 7% in 2014
- 46% of TV households have at least one stand-alone streaming device – up from 17% in 2014
- Among those with any connected TV device, 57% have three or more devices – with a mean of 3.8 devices per connected TV household
- Across all TV households, the mean number of connected TV devices is 2.8 – compared to a mean of 1.7 pay-TV set-top boxes per U.S. TV household
- 32% of those who got a new TV in the past year have a 4K HDTV
- 21% with annual household incomes >$75,000 have a 4K HDTV – compared to 5% with annual household incomes <$30,000
The study, “Connected and 4K TVs XV,” was based on data from 1,202 U.S. TV households.
Last July, eMarketer said that 168.1 million people will have used Internet-connected TV devices by year’s end.
