According to the Leichtman Research Group, 74% of U.S. TV households have at least one Internet-connected TV device, including connected smart TVs, stand-alone streaming devices (like Roku, Amazon Fire TV stick or set-top box, Chromecast, or Apple TV), connected video game systems, and/or connected Blu-ray players. This is an increase from 65% with at least one connected TV device in 2016, 44% in 2013 and 24% in 2010.
Overall, 29% of adults in U.S. TV households watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, compared to 19% in 2016, 6% in 2013 and 1% in 2010. Younger individuals are most likely to use connected TV devices. Among all ages 18-34, 43% watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, compared to 33% of ages 35-54 and 12% of ages 55+.
The findings are based on a survey of 1,202 TV households throughout the United States and are part of LRG's study, "Connected and 4K TVs XV," the research house's fifteenth annual study on TVs in the United States.
Other findings indicate:
- About 29% of all TVs in U.S. households are connected smart TVs, an increase from 7% in 2014.
- 46% of TV households have at least one stand-alone streaming device, up from 17% in 2014.
- Among those with any connected TV device, 57% have three or more devices,- with a mean of 3.8 devices per connected TV household.
- Across all TV households, the mean number of connected TV devices is 2.8, compared to a mean of 1.7 pay TV set-top boxes per U.S. TV household.
- 32% of those that got a new TV in the past year have a 4K HDTV.
- 21% with annual household incomes greater than $75,000 have a 4K HDTV, compared to 5% with annual household incomes of less than $30,000.
"Connected TVs, along with Netflix and other SVOD services, are among the biggest factors driving change in the video industry over the past few years," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG. "In a short period of time, connected devices have allowed an increasing number of consumers to easily watch SVOD and other video options on the same TV screen as traditional pay TV and broadcast offerings."