Smart televisions are now in 70% of homes with a television in the United States and account for over half of all their sets, as reported by recent research. The survey also found that over half of television homes had either Roku or Fire TV incorporated in their television or as a separate device.
The third annual Connected Home report from Hub Entertainment Research is based on a survey of 5,000 consumers in the United States aged 16-74, with the latest wave conducted in February and March 2021.
The previous year was clearly unusual, with the coronavirus pandemic increasing media usage at home and many consumers investing in smart televisions and streaming media players.
Over 52% of television sets were reported to be smart televisions, up from 45% the same time the previous year. In homes with children under the age of 18 or where the oldest person is under the age of 35, the percentage rose to 59% and 61% respectively.
The study found that over 40% of households with a television had one with Roku or Fire TV built in.
The proportion of television homes with Roku, either incorporated in their television or as a connected device, rose to 40%, up from 35% the same quarter the previous year.
The number with Fire TV, either built-in or connected, rose to 29% from 26% the previous year.
The percentage of television homes with either Roku or Fire TV was 57%, up from 51% the year before. That suggests that some homes have both.
The survey found that the use of streaming had increased to 77% of homes, up from 74% a year before, with 56% of homes streaming using a smart television at least once a month, up from 48% the previous year.
“The wider adoption of smart TVs and replacement of non-smart TVs turns up the pressure on connected devices like streaming boxes, streaming sticks, and video game consoles,” said David Tice, co-author of the Connected Home study.
A number of brands offer Roku televisions, including Hisense and TCL. Toshiba is among the brands that have embraced Fire TV from Amazon, which includes access to the Alexa voice assistant. Android TV from Google is also making an impression.
It is difficult to buy a television that is not smart these days. Samsung with Tizen and LG with Web OS still lead in global share but the smart money is spread across a fragmented market.