Research: Sales of connected TV devices to hit 350m by 2015
January 5, 2011
Consumer desire for on-demand and online video content will motivate sales of Internet-connectable TV devices to nearly 350 million units worldwide by 2015, setting the stage for intense competition in app development, international market research firm Parks Associates has reported.
The firm forecasts worldwide sales of Internet-connectable HDTVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, and digital video players such as Roku and Apple TV will grow approximately fourfold from 2010.
“The market has reached the fourth generation of connected TVs, and all major manufacturers are debuting new models at CES with innovations in content aggregation, apps development, and user interfaces,” said Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates. “Content options are finally catching up to the hardware innovations, and growing libraries of on-demand movies and TV available are starting to unlock the potential of connected TV devices as multifunction online entertainment and communications platforms.”
The expanded presence of these devices will increase opportunities for apps developers – including third-party developers and giants such as Google, Samsung, and Yahoo! Consumers will also be key in deciding whether a controlled apps environment or the open-browser approach advocated by Google will be the dominant model for the connected TV market in the next five years.
“Companies across the value chain – including content aggregation, broadcast television, delivery and management, CE, pay-TV providers, and retail – have significant opportunities to deliver content to a large number of new devices,” Scherf said.