Study: Smart TVs’ Growing Influence On Viewing Habits
Research shows that more and more smart TV owners are converting from cable to the modern app-centric viewing experience. Hub’s latest “Evolution of the TV Set” study shows that smart TVs significantly impact how viewers are leaning into streaming services and other entertainment apps as traditional linear Pay TV viewing declines. Hub’s report is based on a survey conducted in May 2024 among 2,517 US consumers ages 16-74.
Key findings include:
The share of TV sets used to stream continues to grow.
In 2024, 60% of respondents “most-used” TV sets are connected to a streaming platform – up by half since 2020. At the same time, the share of primary TVs connected to cable continues to fall (38% this year, down from 52% in 2020.)
Smart TV operating systems now drive more than half of viewing sessions.
38% percent say the first thing they see when they turn on their TV is the apps installed on the home screen of their smart TV.
Another 27% say they see the apps on a home screen of an external media player, (like a Roku player or Apple TV box).
Only 19% see a show in progress from a cable company. The discovery process is becoming one driven by apps and smart TV operating systems.
While half (50%) of viewers say they first typically open a specific app (like Netflix) to find something to watch, the other half use capabilities built into the smart TV itself:
· 26% choose from shows highlighted on their smart TV home screen.
· 24% use the universal search function built into their smart TV to search for shows across all their services.
Smart TVs strongly influence the apps being used to discover shows.
In many cases smart TVs dictate which apps consumers decide to watch in the first place – especially during the setup process. For example…
Half (51%) of respondents say that they installed a new TV app recommended by their smart TV operating system when they set up their TV for the first time
And nearly half (47%) said that once their TV was set up, they rarely or never add more apps
Get a free excerpt from Hub’s Evolution of the TV Set 2024 report here.