Research: US homes increasingly connected

Consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 74 per cent of US TV households have at least one Internet-connected TV device, including connected Smart TVs, stand-alone streaming devices (such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV stick or set-top box, Chromecast, or Apple TV), connected video game systems, and/or connected Blu-ray players.  This is a similar level to 2018, and an increase from 69 per cent with at least one connected TV device in 2017, 50 per cent in 2014, and 24 per cent in 2010.

Overall, 31 per cent of adults in US TV households watch video on a TV via a connected device daily – compared to 25 per cent in 2017, 11 per cent in 2014, and 1 per cent in 2010.  Younger individuals are most likely to use connected TV devices.  Among adults ages 18-34, 53 per cent watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, compared to 31 per cent of ages 35-54, and 12 per cent of ages 55+.

These findings are based on a survey of 1,150 TV households throughout the US, and are part of a new LRG study, Connected and 4K TVs 2019.  This is LRG’s sixteenth annual study on TV in the U.S

Other findings include:

• 25 per cent of adults with a pay-TV service watch video via a connected TV device daily – compared to 49 per cent of pay-TV non-subscribers
• 49 per cent of TV households have at least one stand-alone streaming device – up from 40 per cent in 2017, and 17 per cent in 2014
• 18 per cent of adults watch video on a TV via a stand-alone device daily – compared to 12 per cent in 2017, and 4 per cent in 2014
• 14 per cent of adults watch Internet-delivered video via a connected Smart TV daily – compared to 10 per cent in 2017, and 4 per cent in 2014
• 32 per cent of all TVs in US  households are connected Smart TVs – an increase from 24 per cent in 2017, and 7 per cent in 2014
• 22 per cent with annual household incomes >$50,000 (€44,650)have a 4K HDTV – compared to 9 per cent with annual household incomes <$50,000
• 34 per cent of those that purchased a new TV in the past year have a 4K HDTV

“About three-quarters of all TV households in the US now have at least one connected TV device, with a mean of 3.9 devices per connected TV household,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG.  “Over half of all adults watch video via a connected TV device at least weekly, an increase from one-quarter of adults five years ago, and nearly one-third of adults now use these devices daily.”