Research: 55% US broadband homes own smart TV
February 11, 2022
Parks Associates reports that 55 per cent of US broadband households own a smart TV, pushing this device to be the default platform for streaming content.
“Rapid changes in the market over the past two years, combined with continually shifting customer preferences, have forced service and device suppliers to adjust and adapt on an almost daily basis,” said Eric Sorensen, Senior Contributing Analyst, Parks Associates. “The standard in service now is to deliver desirable content so that consumers can view it when, where, and how they want it. Service providers, both conventional and online, will have to continue to adjust as consumer demands continue to evolve.”
Parks Associates expects smart TVs to cement their position as the default connected streaming platform in 2022. Consumers are increasingly interested in having all their entertainment available on a single device, and as smart TVs have become more affordable, with improved user interfaces (UIs), they offer an attractive integrated option for viewing all content.
Parks Associates also anticipates streaming services in 2022 will begin to recognise churn as a normal part of doing business. The average churn rate in 2020 was 40 per cent; the current percentage is 45 per cent. Streamers today typically subscribe to one or more foundational services – Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, or Hulu – and then add three or more additional services, each offering unique and differentiated content, from which consumers unsubscribe once they no longer see the value in the cost or the content.
“We also expect the traditional business models for movie windowing releases to erode more in 2022,” Sorensen said. “The box office will regain some of its strength, as ‘experience’ releases like sci-fi and action-adventure will continue to draw people to the theatre, but for many films, movie studios generally benefit from bypassing exclusivity and releasing through multiple channels, including theatres and direct-to-consumer. In 2022, we will see more of this hybrid windowing strategy and experimentation.”