While the types of devices being used to connect TV sets to the Internet are varied (video game consoles, streaming media players, Blu-ray disc players, and the TV sets themselves), the average connected TV home had 2.9 devices installed that they could use for programming from apps on their TV sets.
NPD say the numbers match the macro-level rise in the number of connected devices Americans own. In examining the entire connected device landscape, there are now 734 million in use within U.S. Internet homes, averaging 7.8 connected devices per home. This represents an increase of 64 million installed and Internet-connected devices over the past year. This momentum is, in part, being driven by the increased adoption of Internet-enabled televisions and streaming media players as well as the increased availability of streaming video content.
"Ownership of connected televisions and streaming media players is accelerating while the availability of streaming content is simultaneously expanding. These combined forces will continue to drive increased adoption of connected devices within U.S. households," wrote John Buffone, NPD's executive director, Connected Intelligence. "At the same time, as the number of households that have access to apps on TVs rises, so too do the business opportunities for content owners and distributors."