Report: Smart TV Ownership Up 65% Since 2015; Connectivity with Other Devices Most Important Feature
Smart TVs are an increasingly important tool for consumers. They allow users to navigate between their various streaming apps and services, and newer models frequently integrate controls for other smart home devices, making smart TVs the hub of integrated whole-home entertainment.
Given all the capabilities new smart TVs now offer, it’s no wonder that they’ve grown increasingly popular over the years. A new report from Parks Associates shows that 63% of U.S. households with internet now own a smart TV. That’s a 65% increase over 2015, when just 38% of connected households reported owning such a device.
Related: How to Turn Off Tracking Software on Your New Smart TV or Streaming Device
“Smart TVs are part of the modern home; this device will be a key element of an integrated whole-home entertainment vision going forward,” said Parks Associates president Elizabeth Parks. “New applications and integration are bringing together the smart home and entertainment ecosystems to further monetize its user base and have more control of the data in the home.”
Indeed, having more control over “entertainment ecosystems” is a top priority for smart TV owners. Customers who reported buying a smart TV recently listed interconnectivity and functionality with other devices from the same brand or ecosystem as the most important feature that drove them to make a purchase.
When consumers are deciding whether or not to make a smart TV purchase, they value compatibility, interoperability, and ease of use within an ecosystem more than they value single-point functionality. Owners of internet-connected devices now have an average of 16 such devices in the home, and the desire for a single access control point tops their list of wants.
Consumers who still haven’t picked up a smart TV now have more options than ever before. Roku announced early in January that it was releasing an in-house line of new smart TVs, with both HD and 4K resolutions to be available. Hopefully for Roku, its TVs work seamlessly with other products bearing its name, including streaming devices and sound bars, as customers clearly value device interconnectivity.
The spread of smart TVs demonstrates the power of streaming, and how ubiquitous it has become. Parks’ data shows that 87% of connected homes now subscribe to at least one streaming service, and smart TV manufacturers should do everything they can to ensure their products are easy to use in concert with both streaming services and other connected devices in the home.