The majority of smart TV shipments in the US were fulfilled by Samsung and Vizio flat panel TVs (FPTV) in Q4 2013 as most major TV vendors put a priority on smart TV features to differentiate their products in the crowded FPTV market, according to Strategy Analytics research.

David Watkins, Director of Connected Home Devices at Strategy Analytics, said: “We are witnessing a precipitous drop in the price delta for Smart TVs compared to their traditional counterparts, reflecting the expectation of major TV vendors that they will make more money down the road from content partnerships rather than upfront on higher hardware costs. Though it remains to be seen how quickly this scenario will materialise, the immediate need for OTT content on Ultra HD TVs may be a catalyst.”

Eric Smith, Analyst of Connected Home Devices at Strategy Analytics, added: “We expect that Smart TVs will comprise more than half of all FPTV shipments in the US in 2014, but the Smart TV market will continue to be dominated by a handful of vendors at the top. Vendors competing solely on price will be slow to embrace Smart TV.”

Findings from the report include:
· Samsung was the clear market leader with 29.6 per cent market share
· Vizio has made a strong push to challenge Samsung’s dominance, gaining nearly 2 per cent market share year-on-year
· Sony holds only an 8 per cent share in the overall FPTV market but its Smart TV market share is nearly double that at 17.6 per cent

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