Internet-connected TV isn’t merely the future of television.
Plenty of Americans already are connecting their TVs to the Internet, according to a report from Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting firm.
In fact, more than 42 million homes across Europe and the United States are using the Internet to watch TV shows and movies on their TV screen, Strategy Analytics found based on an online July survey of 4,800 respondents.
Connected TV use is reportedly twice as popular in the U.S. compared to Europe: Boston-based Strategy Analytics finds that 20 percent of U.S. respondents watched Internet content on their TV screens in the previous month while only 10 percent of European respondents did the same thing.
The report, “Multiscreen Connected TV: Assessing Device Usage and Ownership," also finds Americans most often connect TVs to the Internet using game consoles while Europeans prefer to connect PCs to the television using an HDMI cable.
“These findings have important implications for content providers, device manufacturers and network operators," said David Mercer, Principal Analyst and the report’s author, in a statement. “They demonstrate that television viewers are prepared to go to significant lengths to watch their preferred television shows or movies on the big screen. In spite of the technical challenges, many people want to be freed from the constraints of traditional, managed television services if their choice of content is not available when they want, where they want, and at a price they are willing to pay."
