Nielsen: Smart TVs catching on in U.S. homes

Smart TVs are helping televisions remain the screen of choice. Even though tablets have risen as the sexy new video platform, when Americans watch content – and they watch about 35 hours weekly – 94% of the time that is on a television set, says new research from Nielsen.

Smart TVs, which have built-in connections to the Internet, have found their way into more homes. More than one in 10 homes (10.4%) had a smart TV in February, compared to just 4.7% in February 2011, Nielsen says. Still, not everyone has tapped into their TV's smartness. In smart TV homes, watching Net-savvy sets accounted for only about 5% of video viewing in February 2012. However, that is an increase on the 2% mark from October 2011, Nielsen says.