By Jonathan Easton
Smart TV adoption experienced significant growth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report has revealed.
According to Parks Associates, smart TVs reached 56 per cent US household penetration, making it the among most commonly adopted consumer electronics device categories.
The pandemic also proved positive for smart speakers/displays, which are now in 53 per cent of US households.
Overall, the total average number of connected consumer electronics devices owned per US broadband household is higher than ever. In Q1 2021, the average household had nine consumer electronics devices, up from a little over eight in Q1 2019.
Senior Analyst, Parks Associates, Paul Erickson,said: “Big announcements in the smart TV space by Amazon and Comcast are evidence of where the home entertainment market is headed. TVs are now consumers’ most common video centerpiece in the home, and technology powerhouses are vying to own this point of entertainment aggregation – and all the data that goes with it – by controlling the platform itself.
“The competition now is not just about providing access to entertainment, it’s also about adding increasing value to the platform through features such as voice assistants, smart home integration, and better user experiences. Smart TVs are now seen as a key anchor device for ecosystem penetration into today’s broadband households.”
