Consumer Usage of TVs for Accessing Online Video Grows

SANTA CLARA: A recent study from NPD DisplaySearch has found that 18 percent of consumers surveyed in 14 regions are accessing online content daily on their TV sets.

According to the report, Connected TV Study: Features, Contents and Usage, movies are the most popular source of entertainment for watching Internet content on TVs. Consumers are also increasingly using Internet-connected TVs for catching up on previously broadcast videos.

Among the consumers who say they do not view online content via TV, 44 percent report that they have no interest in doing so. About 30 percent say they simply do not own the necessary devices. Of these respondents, only a third say they would be interested in doing so.

Daily usage of TVs to view online video content remains under 30 percent in most countries. Online content on TV is viewed most in China, the survey finds.

“Online content is mostly viewed on computers or mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones, but TVs are increasingly becoming devices of choice for consumers, particularly since an increasing numbers of sets have either built-in connectivity or can be connected to the internet via a peripheral device such as a connected Blu-ray player or set-top box, among others,” sais Riddhi Patel, NPD DisplaySearch’s research director of consumer insights. “In fact, 25 percent of consumers surveyed said they view online content on their TV several times a week.”

Patel added, “Although results differ by country, the results imply that there is still a general lack of interest in viewing online content via TV. This can be attributed to usage of devices other than TVs to view online content as well as a lack of infrastructure and/or expertise to connect their existing TVs to the Internet.”