Smart or Connected TV sets may be seen currently as a quirky add-on, or geeky obsession, but a new report says that by 2016, three quarters of us will have a connected television set.
You WILL be connected by 2016 say IMS
The smart TV is already a popular device with around 25% of sets sold worldwide in 2011 being of the connected variety. This figure is said to be rising to a mammoth 70% by 2016, says a report by IMS Research, a marking research and consultancy company. The report also forecasts that 80% of smart TV’s shipped will have a WiFi connection, and approx 30% will posses a snazzy voice or motion controlled interface.
The report called, The Connected TV Sets – World – 2012 shows that web connected TV is gaining popularity amongst buyers and is becoming a standard feature on new build TV’s. Says Veronica Thayer, report author, “Internet connectivity is becoming a standard on high-end TV sets, and it’s increasingly being added to mid-end televisions.”
So the forecast really just reflects the fact that soon you will not be able to buy a TV without connectivity built in, she continues, “TV set manufacturers’ product launch plans are expected to drive the majority of the growth for connected TV sets during the forecast period.”
The growth in units will create over $117bn income, and will mainly continue to run on the manufacturers OS built into the backend. These sets will not have a competition free entry to market though, as operating systems such as Android will start to make an impact, and will gain a “significant” market share by 2014 says the report.
But connected TV will not have it all to themselves as they will face strong competition from internet TV devices such as Apple TV and Roku says the report, “The impact that Internet-connectivity will have on total TV set growth will be diminished by the availability of other Internet-connected devices such as Apple TV, Roku and game consoles.”
So the connected TV will start becoming available on whatever device you buy, from the TV to the games console or Blu-ray player. If your not already connected. you soon will be.
