3% of US households connected to internet solely via Smart TV

New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group Inc. has revealed that only 3% of US households are connected to the internet solely via a smart TV set, compared with the 18% that are connected via a games console.

The study – based on a survey of 1,240 households throughout the United States – found that 44% of households have at least one TV set connected to the internet via a games console, Blu-ray player, Apple TV or Roku set top box as well as the TV itself, and over half of adults watch video on a non-TV device on a weekly basis, up 37% since 2011.

Netflix consumption is seeing rapid growth, with Netflix streaming video households accounting for 58% of weekly TV show viewers. 22% of all adults stream Netflix video on a weekly basis, up from 4% in 2010.

The results also found that 62% of adults use other devices while watching TV every week, while just 7% of these use their devices to interact with the programmes being watched.

“Video watched on non-TV devices and via connected TV sets has significantly increased over the past few years, particularly among younger individuals,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.

“Consumers are generally using these new viewing options to complement traditional TV viewing at home.”