Latest Growth Forecasts for Connected TV – 40 million in Europe by 2014

New research from Parks Associates forecasts that the number of European households with a connected TV will reach 47 million in 2014 (just 4 million in 2009). The number of households with a connected Blu-ray player will jump from 5 million in 2010 to approximately 66 million in 2014.

“Connectivity is becoming standard in CE products,” said Kurt Scherf VP, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates, and session moderator. “Stakeholders as diverse as managed service providers, content aggregators, and third-party application developers will play a role in how these devices link to services and allow the consumer to discover new ways to interact with entertainment.”

DisplaySearch, another US information provider, concurs on the European figure and puts the global take-up at over 118 million by 2014.

Paul Gray, DisplaySearch Director of European TV Research believes “it’s a battleground where TV set makers, internet video companies, free-to-air broadcasters, pay-TV and the IT industry are all rushing to stake their claims. IPTV is moving from being a technology to becoming recognizable service offerings.”

It is too early to see a front runner yet. Gray adds:

“It has been a long, challenging journey so far, especially with new competitors like Google TV joining the battle. Set makers will have to acquire new skills such as negotiating content deals in order to succeed. I think most of the TV supply chain senses that this is a seismic shift in the usage of TV that will be far more significant than 3D, which will not alter TV function or usage patterns.”

It is expected that the connected TV market will split, with basic connected sets carrying enhanced services such as YouView and VuDu, while the smart TV will include configurable apps, more sophisticated search and navigation engines, and advanced user interfaces.

DisplaySearch defines a smart TV as “one that can retrieve content from beyond walled gardens, has intelligent search and recommendation, is upgradeable by its owner, and is able to network seamlessly with other devices in the home.”

Connected TV will be just one of the areas under discussion within the second panel at MediaTel Group’s TV Summit on November 25th. The panel includes Anna Bateson, Marketing Director for Media and Platforms, EMEA, YouTube; Bob Wootton, Director of Media and Advertising affairs, ISBA; Peter Cowley, owner, Spirit Digital Media and Mark Brandon, Virgin Media.

The event is sponsored by Rovi and Thinkbox.

Tickets are available at just £145 + VAT if you book now.