By all accounts, smart TV adoption has hit an inflection point.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the latest predictions:
- According to IHS, more than a quarter of all televisions shipped in 2012 had so-called “smart” Internet connectivity capabilities, and IHS predicts that smart TVs will account for more than half (55%) of all shipments by 2015, reaching 141 million units. By 2016, IHS reports, smart TVs will account for two-thirds of the total units shipped globally.
- According to MarketsandMarkets, the overall smart TV market was worth $86 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach $265 billion by the end of 2016 with a CAGR of 17%.
- The NPD GROUP predicts that 119 million US TVs will be connected to the Internet by 2015, up 51% from 2013.
- According to research from Futuresource Consulting, over a billion TV-centric connected devices are now in homes across the world and this number is set to double by 2017.
- According to a recent report by Digital TV Research, more than 1 in 4 global TV sets forecast to be Internet-connected by 2018.
- According to eMarketer, usage of connected TVs in US households was up by more than 25% last year, eMarketer estimates, and will continue to be taken up by Americans at double-digit rates through at least 2016.
- According to research from Strategy Analytics, global Smart TV shipments grew 55 per cent year-on-year to reach 76 million units in 2013, accounting for 33 per cent of total Flat Panel TV (FPTV) during the year.
A scan of recent news headlines makes it abundantly clear that the smart TV race is well underway (and everyone wants to be a player):
- TiVo Acquiring Durham’s Digitalsmiths for $135 Million
- Roku TV Unveiled: Television Sets with Roku Streaming Built-in
- Time Warner Cable launches TWC TV app on Samsung Smart TVs
- Sony Announces Cloud-based TV Service with Live TV, DVR, and Video on Demand
- Verizon’s Smart Buy (Intel’s OnCue)
- Rebooting WebOS: How LG Rethought the Smart TV
Who will in the smart TV race? It’s hard to say at this point. But for consumers to come out on top, one thing is certain — search & discovery across multiple apps for something to watch must be made fast, easy and fun.
In fact, Wired Magazine reports that more the 95% of consumers cite the ability to quickly find what they want to watch when they want to watch it as the most important smart TV feature.
Quickly finding content in today’s wold of exploding smart TV content is Kannuu’s raison d’être.
We give manufacturers, service providers, and content creators a competitive edge in today’s highly competitive smart TV race.
But, most importantly, we’ll make sure consumers come out on top with fast and easy search & discovery on their smart TVs!