Web-Enabled Devices Bring Internet Video and Applications to the TV

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Increasing popularity of web-enabled consumer electronics (CE) products is a game-changer for the digital entertainment industry, reports In-Stat. Over-the-top (OTT) video services are increasingly offering compelling alternatives to traditional TV viewing. New services, such as Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and Blockbuster, offer streamed or downloadable TV and movie content. Online TV programming portals, such as Hulu, TV.com, and YouTube, have expanded into full-length video content. Web-enabled devices, which are a necessity to access these services, are now proliferating across device categories that include TVs, Blu-ray Players, Digital Media Adapters (DMAs), network attached storage, and set top boxes.

“Most web-enabled CE devices will be sold in developed countries. Our research shows that within five years nearly all broadband households will own at least one web-enabled CE media device,” says Norm Bogen, In-Stat analyst. “The implications of this across the digital entertainment industry will be huge.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Worldwide shipments of web-enabled stationary CE devices will grow more than seven-fold from their 2009 levels to over 230 million by 2013.
• There will be over one-half billion web-enabled CE devices in operation worldwide by 2013.
• In 2009, there were five broadband households worldwide for every web-enabled CE device. By 2013, this ratio will be 2:1.
• Many cable operators, worldwide, are predicted to introduce BBC iPlayer-like OTT services for catch-up and on-demand program viewing.
• In-Stat’s consumer survey indicates that over half of US consumers with network-connected Blu-ray DVD players/recorders use Wi-Fi, while 30% use Ethernet.

Recent In-Stat research, Global Web-Enabled Consumer Electronics Devices Set to Explode (#IN1004518RC), covers the worldwide market for web-enabled consumer electronics devices. It includes:

• Examination of the growth of Internet access functionality to a wide variety of consumer electronics (CE) device types, including TVs, set-top boxes (STBs), Blu-ray players, digital media adapters, game consoles, digital picture frames, and more.
• In-Stat research on consumer interest in OTT digital entertainment services.
• Forecasts for multiple types of web-enabled stationary CE device shipments through 2013.