NPD: smart TV shipments up 15 percent in 2012
updated 01:31 pm EDT, Wed October 17, 2012
Worldwide, smart TVs move into the mainstream
The smart TV sector is moving from technological novelty to the mainstream, according to NPD DIsplaySearch. The consumer information company has just published its Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report, finding that smart TV shipments should grow 15 percent worldwide this year. The growth in smart TVs is seen as indicative of a larger trend among consumers, one in which media consumption habits are shifting to adjust to the digital era.
The NPD report found connected and Smart TV shipments accounted for more than 40 percent of shipments in China and Western Europe. In Japan, smart TVs accounted for more than 55 percent of shipments. In North America, smart TVs account for about 20 percent of shipments, the lowest level of any region.
Despite the low level of smart TV penetration, North American households consume more Internet video than any other region, more than 30GB per household per month. NPD found that North American households tend to use set-top boxes to access content, including paid on-demand services.
NPD found that nearly 9.5 million consumer-controlled smart TVs shipped in the second quarter of 2012, and the report expects 43 million to have shipped by the end of the year. By 2016, NPD estimates that the sector will ship 95 million units.
