Research: US connected TV viewing rising
June 7, 2021
Findings from analyst firm Leichtman Research Group suggest that 82 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 compares to 80 per cent with at least one connected TV device in 2020, 74 per cent in 2019, 65 per cent in 2016, and 30 per cent in 2011.
Overall, 39 per cent of adults in US TV households watch video on a TV via a connected device daily – compared to 40 per cent in 2020, 31 per cent in 2019, 19 per cent in 2016, and 3 per cent in 2011. Younger individuals are most likely to use connected TV devices. Among all ages 18-34, 54 per cent watch video on a TV via a connected device daily – compared to 43 per cent of ages 35-54 and 22 per cent of ages 55+.
These findings are based on a survey of 2,000 TV households in the US, and are part of a new LRG study, Connected TVs 2021. This is LRG’s eighteenth annual study on TVs in the U.S.
Other findings include:
- 35 per cent of adults with a pay-TV service watch video via a connected TV device daily – compared to 50 per cent of pay-TV non-subscribers
- 60 per cent of adults watch video via a connected TV device at least weekly – compared to 59 per cent in 2020, 52 per cent in 2019, 40 per cent in 2016, and 10 per cent in 2011
- 55 per cent of TV households have at least one stand-alone streaming device – up from 49 per cent in 2019, 33 per cent in 2016, and 3 per cent in 2011
- About 43 per cent of all TV sets in US households are connected Smart TVs – an increase from 32 per cent in 2019, 19 per cent in 2016, and 7 per cent in 2014
- In 2021, mean reported spending on a new TV was about $530 – compared to about $795 in 2016
- Given a choice of screens, 78 per cent prefer to watch video on a TV set, 11 per cent on a computer, 8 per cent on a smartphone, and 3 per cent on a tablet
“Use of connected TV devices levelled off over the past year after being pulled forward due to the coronavirus pandemic last year,” advises Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. Still, 39 per cent of adults watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, and 60 per cent at least weekly. Over 80 per cent of TV households in the US now have at least one connected TV device, with a mean of 4.1 devices per connected TV household.”