IP-Connected TV Devices Set For A Surge

A growing number of TVs will be graced with Internet connections in the years ahead, eclipsing 202 million by 2015, according to a new forecast from NPD Group.

That predicted total would represent a 44% increase from the 140 million TVs that were graced with Internet connections in one form or another at the start of 2013, the firm said in its new Connected Home Forecast report. NPG said it expects 65% of connectable devices, a group that includes smart TVs, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles and streaming media players, will get connected by consumers by 2015, versus 56% at the start of 2013. The firm attributes this rise to the surging adoption of the devices themselves, including new, popular products such as the Google Chromecast streaming adapter. The introduction of these specialized devices will help to drive the number of installed and connected media players to 31 million by 2015, enabling them to outpace connected Blu-ray players by mid-2014, NPD said.

[Dec 30]