US Smart TV ownership increased in Q1 2024 to nearly 8 in 10 households as consumers replace old TVs and embrace streaming video, as revealed Hub Entertainment Research’s annual “Connected Home” study.
Platt Zolov, consultant to Hub and study co-author, said: “With more affordable and higher quality TVs available, it’s no surprise that people are continuing to upgrade their home theaters to better Smart TVs that make watching favorite streaming content easy.”
The study revealed that 62% of TV households are now streaming weekly on smart TVs, up significantly from 47% in 2021. While separate streaming media player devices like Roku and FireTV are in half of homes, growth has stalled compared to all-in-one smart TVs that provide seamless integration for viewers. In addition, the growth of easy-to-install, affordable sound bars are improving the external sound systems for many while they otherwise are hesitant to upgrade to 4K or 8K TV sets.
Apple's foray into the headset market has made waves, with a debut of 200,000 units sold, catapulting the tech giant to solid awareness (49%) and garnering considerable interest (53% top 2-box) despite its hefty price tag of $3,500. However, widespread adoption remains hindered by the prohibitive cost, leaving the cutting-edge device beyond the reach of many consumers. While gaming emerges as the dominant use case for the headset, opportunities abound for expansion into more traditional realms such as TV and movie viewing, signaling potential growth avenues for Apple in the immersive entertainment sector.
Zolov added: “The exciting debut of the Apple Vision Pro headset is a big step toward making advanced headset usage more mainstream – although there is clearly room to grow in further integrating it into traditional living room behavior.”
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