49 million U.S. homes have a TV connected to the internet

49 Million U.S. Internet Homes Now Own a Connected TV or Attached Content Device, According to The NPD Group

• As Streaming Video Content Surges, U.S. Connected TV Household Penetration Increases 14% Year-Over-Year

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — More than half (52%) of all U.S. Internet homes have at least one TV connected to the Internet, representing an increase of six million homes over the past year, according to The NPD Group Connected Intelligence Connected Home Entertainment Report.

Base: U.S. Internet households
Devices are connected to the Internet, not just capable.
Source: The NPD Group/Connected Intelligence Connected Home Entertainment Report

While the types of devices being used to connect these televisions to the Internet are varied (video game consoles, streaming media players, Blu-ray disc players, and the TVs themselves), the average connected TV home had nearly three (2.9) devices installed that they could use for programming from apps on their televisions.

These numbers are in lock-step with the macro-level rise in the number of connected devices* Americans own. In examining the entire connected device landscape, there are now 734 million in use within U.S. Internet homes, averaging 7.8 connected devices per home. This represents an increase of 64 million installed and Internet-connected devices over the past year. This momentum is, in part, being driven by the increased adoption of Internet-enabled televisions and streaming media players as well as the increased availability of streaming video content.

“Ownership of connected televisions and streaming media players is accelerating while the availability of streaming content is simultaneously expanding. These combined forces will continue to drive increased adoption of connected devices within U.S. households,” stated John Buffone, executive director, Connected Intelligence. “At the same time, as the number of households that have access to apps on TVs rises, so too do the business opportunities for content owners and distributors.”

Methodology

More than 5,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, were surveyed during Q4 2015. Connected TV, streaming media player, and tablet ownership survey results were calibrated to life-to-date unit sales from the NPD Retail Tracking Service.

* Total connected devices include laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets, connected TVs, video game consoles, Blu-ray disc players, streaming media players, and iPod Touch. The number of installed and Internet-connected devices includes those that deliver broadband applications and must actually be connected to the Internet.