Smart TV sales suffer from cautious consumer
January 24, 2012
A YouGov survey late last year revealed that 1 in 10 people in the UK owned a Smart TV, but intention to purchase was very low – only 15 per cent of UK consumers said they would buy one within the next 12 months. YouGov re-ran the survey in January to see if Xmas provided a boost – it didn’t. Ownership of Smart TVs in the UK only increased by one per cent from December to January. In contrast HDTV ownership seems increased by four per cent (from 55 per cent – 59 per cent).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their suitability as gifts and a lower price point, the Nintendo Wii (up 4 per cent) and other games Consoles that can access TV content saw a big uplift in sales/ownership over this period. Ownership of a games console that can access TV programmes in the 18-24 age group jumped from 7 per cent before Christmas to 25 per cent in January
Most worryingly, for the Smart TV industry, there has been no practically no change (1 per cent) in people’s intention to purchase a Smart TV within the next 12 months.