More Americans Watching TV with Connected TVs and Smart Devices
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We’re watching TV via the Internet more than ever — smart and connected TVs have become the new norm, and we’re now streaming our fave shows via additional smart devices at home.
Variety reports that today about half of U.S. households with the Internet currently have connected TVs. And that’s just TVs; there are a number of other connected devices that we’re tuning in to as well. Of households that have the Internet, 49 million have at least one connected device of some sort — TV, game console, streaming media player or Blu-ray player. That’s an increase of 6 million homes since just last year!
The trend is only picking up momentum: The NPD Group estimates 231 million TV-connected devices to be in use by the end of 2018 — an increase of 82 percent since 2014.
“The two largest drivers of growth will be the increased acceptance of connected televisions in the homes of U.S. consumers, as well as the continued adoption of streaming media players,” said John Buffone, Executive Director, Industry Analyst, Connected Intelligence, The NPD Group.
Not only are TVs more connected than ever, we’re watching TV on non-TV devices more than ever. The New York Times reported that viewers today ages 14-25 watch shows on computers, tablets and smartphones more than on actual TVs, a trend we’ve never seen before.
We’re excited to see the evolution of connected devices and TVs over the coming years, and to see the ways that different viewers and users continue to shape these trends.