ibc0109v3_ibc 01/09/2015 11:12 Page 7
Half US Internet homes own
connected TV device
he CE industry reached a
milestone in the second
quarter with half of US
Internet homes now owning a
Connected TV device. This
includes connected TVs, video
game consoles, streaming media
players, and Blu-ray Disc players
that consumers connected to the
Internet allowing them access to
apps such as Netflix and Hulu.
The total number of homes that
have a Connected TV device is up to
46 million, a four million home increase from
Q2 of last year, according to The NPD Group
Connected Intelligence Connected Home
Entertainment Report.
A primary driver of this
growth has been the success of
the Smart TV industry.
According to NPD’s Retail
Tracking Service, 45% of TVs
sold in the US during Q2 supported apps, up
from 34% last year and 24% two years ago. As
more app-ready TVs enter homes, the rate of
consumers actually connecting these displays to
T
the Internet also increased. In Q2, 69% of all
installed Internet capable TVs were connected,
up from 61% last year and 45% two years ago.
“The increase in the number
of homes that use a TV with apps
is the result of three very
important factors,” said John
Buffone, executive director,
Connected Intelligence. “Sales of
TVs with apps have skyrocketed, their user
interfaces have improved and there has been a
surge in available premium services and
programming.”
“We’re living in
the Golden Age
of TV.”
Sling TV on Amazon
Fire Tablets
OTT television VoD
programming service Sling
TV has released its app for
Amazon Fire HD and HDX
tablets, rounding out its live
Internet TV offering on Fire
devices, including Amazon
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
“Amazon customers now
have more ways to access the
best live and on-demand
content TV has to offer
today,” said Roger Lynch, CEO
of Sling TV. “With the
introduction of Sling TV on
Amazon Fire HD and HDX
tablets, millions of Amazon
customers can now access
their entertainment in and
outside of the home.”
Steve Rabuchin, Vice
President, Amazon Appstore,
said that since launching on
Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV
Stick, Sling TV had been
extremely popular with its
customers and availability on
12
Fire HD and HDX tablets
makes it even more
convenient for them to watch
their favourite live television
shows without a cable
subscription.
The Fire HD and Fire HDX
tablets are the latest to be
added to the roster of Sling
TV supported devices,
including Amazon Fire TV,
Fire TV Stick, Google’s Nexus
Player, current-generation
Roku players and Roku TV
models, Xbox One, iOS a