Smart TV ownership and use jumps in US

Three quarters, or 74%, of US TV homes now report owning a smart TV, up from 61% in 2020, according to Hub Entertainment Research.

According to the outfit’s latest report, Evolution of the TV Set, 64% of all US TV homes report using a smart TV to stream video, compared with 47% in 2020.

The research outfit says that the increase in ownership and usage for viewing shows that smart TVs are gradually replacing separate streaming devices like Roku or Fire TV sticks or boxes.

Fifty-two per cent of respondents say the TV set they use most often has a remote control with voice command capability, up from 38% in 2020.

In homes with a smart TV, 30% of respondents have linked their smart TV to a smart speaker to enable voice control, up from 25% in 2020.

Some 77% of the survey’s respondents say they use their smart TV set for more than just watching TV or movies, up from 63% in 2020.

The most popular non-TV feature on smart TVs is streaming music or other audio content:  49% say they have used their smart TV for this, almost doubling since 2020.

The second most used feature is casting or mirroring another device’s screen on the smart TV.  Some 38% of smart TV owners said they have done this in 2023 – almost tripling since 2020.

Hub Entertainment surveyed 2,504 US consumers. Interviews were conducted in May 2023 and cover consumer ownership of, and attitudes towards, TV sets and TV-related technologies.

“The evolution of the TV set is making valuable new features available to viewers, whether it be better quality picture and sound, streaming, apps, or voice control. This also means challenges to incumbent firms in the TV ecosystem as alternative content providers, advertising sellers, and gatekeepers dramatically increase their presence through the growth of smart TVs,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study.