Mobile Devices Edging into Remotes' Turf

According to the Diffusion Group, 16% of adult broadband users utilize a smartphone or tablet to control their TV sets. More specifically, 12% of adult broadband consumers use a smartphone to control their home TV, with 8% using a tablet for this task. Only 4% report using both devices for TV control purposes.

In combination, the total number of consumers using mobile or portable devices for TV control is less than half the number using universal remote controls (36%) - remotes capable of controlling multiple platforms as opposed to a single device.

Some 80% of consumers surveyed still use a basic OEM remote control, suggesting that even in cases where a universal remote, smartphone, or tablet is used, so too is a traditional single-device remote control. In fact, 70% of those who use either a smartphone or tablet to control their TVs also use a traditional IR-based TV remote control, as do 41% of those who use a universal remote.