NPD: Streaming video through connected TVs overtakes PCs
updated 02:33 pm EDT, Thu September 27, 2012
Survey results suggest reversal of user numbers
Televisions are the primary screen for viewing free and paid video streamed from the Internet, according to the NPD. A recent survey suggests that 45-percent of Americans primarily use their TVs for online streaming, while 31-percent used personal computers instead. This is the first time that the TV has overtaken computers for web-based video.
Last year, a similar survey by NPD found opposite results, with PCs taking up 48-percent and TVs 33-percent. The NPD's recent Digital Video Outlook report claimed that in the second quarter of this year, 12-percent of consumer TVs in the US were connected to the Internet, more than 29 million televisions with online capabilities. A tenth of households in the US own at least one connected TV, and of these, 43-percent accessed online services from their TVs.
In terms of sources of video content, Netflix continues to be the top performer. Of people who watch streamed content through the TV, 40-percent opt for Netflix, 12-percent for HuluPlus, and 4-percent for Vudu. Connected TVs have also seen a reduction in terms of set-top boxes, with one in five no longer using streaming media players, game consoles or DVD players to access the streaming content. [via BGR]
