It appears there is still plenty of room for the Apple TV and other internet-connected entertainment devices to grow in the marketplace, as a recent survey from market research firm NPD shows that just one-third of U.S. households have televisions that can display Internet content.
AppleInsider notes that the survey shows that just 42 million of America’s 115 million households have televisions that can display content from the Internet, suggesting significant room for growth for Apple TV.
The figures released on Thursday show a 17% over the numbers from one year ago, so internet-connected televisions are a growth industry.
“Consumers want devices that can deliver high-quality content to their TVs,” NPD executive John Buffone said in a release. “The increase in Connected TV and streaming media player penetration is proof that consumers are investing in solutions that can provide app-related content in the simplest, most effective way.”
One data point of note: the number of streaming media players surpassed those of connected Blu-ray disc players in living rooms for the first time.
The growth in the adoption rate for streamers bodes well for such devices as Amazon’s Fire TV, and the popular Apple TV. Apple is rumored to be working on an new version of its set-top box.
Connectivity and user experience sat at the top of the list when users were asked what was most important to them when they bought a connected device. 67% said the ability to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi was their biggest concern. Other concerns, in order of popularity, included an easy-to-use remote control, no content buffering, an easy-to-use home screen, and the availability of high-definition programming.
NPD collected the above information by surveying 5,000 individuals as part of their most recent Connected Home Report.
