A survey conducted by Hub Entertainment Research confirmed what many people likely understand to be the reality: Television is increasingly complicated and deeply embedded in their lives.
The firm’s Smart TV report found that the average consumer uses seven sources of TV and 13 sources of digital entertainment. The latter is a catch-all that includes television, gaming, music, social video, and other activities.
The findings of the survey include the views of 2,517 U.S. consumers between the ages of 16 and 75. The survey data was collected in May and includes television and non-television homes.
Other key findings from Hub Entertainment’s “Evolution of the TV Set” Smart TV report:
- During the past five years, there was a tad less than three televisions in respondents’ households. The number of those that are Smart TVs has tracked upward. In 2020, there were 2.9 TVs per household and 1.3 of them were smart. This was followed by 2.9/1.5 in 2021; 2.9/1.6 in 2022; 2.8/1.6 last year and 2.8/1.7 this year.
- The “most used” television in the household is, increasingly, connected to streaming rather than cable. In 2020, 52% were connected to paid cable TV. Two years later, streaming had taken a narrow lead (52% to 48%) and has a much wider lead this year (60% to 38%).
- 65% of respondents start watching from the home screen of a media player or a smart TV. There are four main starting points for viewers: TV home screen with apps (38%); external media player home screen (27%); pay TV home screen (19%); and antenna (10%). 6% use other means.
- Smart TV owners are amendable to suggestions: 51% added new apps suggested to them as part of their TV setup process, while 47% rarely or never do so.
- There are three main ways that people seek content. Exactly half open a service-specific app, 26% select programs that appear on the home screen and 24% use the search functions built into their smart TV.
- Finally, the Smart TV report found that the percentage of people who use their smart TV for non-TV functions is growing. These include streaming music or audio (49% in 2021, 49% in 2024); “mirroring”/“casting” from PC or phone to the TV screen (38%; 43%); checking news, weather, or traffic (24%; 29%); playing video games directly on TV (not measured in 2021; 24% in 2024); displaying photos (15%; 20%); and controlling smart home devices (not asked in 2021; 12% in 2024).
Attest, a consumer research firm released a report last month that said that the percentage of people streaming television for more than three hours per day sank from 63.8% in 2022 to 63.1% last year and 60.7% to the point the report was written. The results for those streaming TV for more than one hour per day went from 45.9% in 2022 to 48.2% in 2023 to 46.9% in 2024.
