Smart Home (connected home, home networking) News

Voxtok enhances the audio and music experience on Technicolor STBs
Feb 25, 2019 – Voxtok has released Music Avenue - the first personalized audio service designed for TV. The service is now available on Technicolor’s Android TV set-top boxes. Music Avenue aggregates music sources and brings smart control over wireless audio devices in the home.
News categories: Voxtok, Technicolor, Joel Reboul, Gaetan Delcroix, Android TV, Apps, Digital TV, MWC24, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Worldwide

Smart speaker household access grows to 13% of internet users
Feb 20, 2019 – More than 13% of internet users surveyed across the Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States had access to a smart speaker in their households in November 2018 according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).
News categories: IHS Markit, Fateha Begum, Maria Rua Aguete, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Market Research, MWC24, Smart Home, UK, USA

Global smart speaker sales were 86.2 million units in 2018
Feb 19, 2019 – The final results are in and they confirm that smart speakers were the hottest consumer electronics product in 2018. Strategy Analytics’ latest research shows that Q4 shipments grew 95% to 38.5 million units.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, David Watkins, David Mercer, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

U.S. smart speaker sales will exceed 64 million in 2022
Feb 14, 2019 – Parks Associates research estimates that U.S. households will buy more than 64 million smart speakers with voice assistants in 2022, part of the smart home trend driving widespread adoption of voice control.
News categories: Parks Associates, Dina Abdelrazik, Market Research, Smart Home, USA

Digital Voice Assistants in use to triple to 8 billion by 2023
Feb 12, 2019 – A study from Juniper Research has found that there will be 8 billion digital voice assistants in use by 2023, up from an estimated 2.5 billion at the end of 2018. The fastest growing voice assistant categories will be: Smart TVs, Smart speakers and Wearables.
News categories: Juniper Research, James Moar, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

Amazon to acquire mesh WiFi company, eero
Feb 11, 2019 – Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and eero have announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire eero. eero’s home mesh WiFi systems set up in minutes and blanket every room of a customer’s home in high-performing, reliable WiFi.
News categories: Amazon, eero, Dave Limp, Nick Weaver, MandA, Smart Home, USA, Worldwide

Technicolor receives offer for its Research & Innovation activity from InterDigital
Feb 11, 2019 – Technicolor (Paris: TCH; OTCQX: TCLRY) has announced that it has received a binding offer and entered into exclusive negotiations with InterDigital (NASDAQ : IDCC) for the sale of its Research & Innovation activity. InterDigital acquired Technicolor's Patent Licensing business in 2018.
News categories: Technicolor, InterDigital, Frederic Rose, Big Data, MandA, Smart Home, Worldwide

Google dominating immature Swedish smart speaker market
Feb 6, 2019 – In the US, the smart speaker market has accelerated quickly during 2018. According to Mediavision, the Nordics have not adopted the smart speaker quite as fast, partly explained by the language barrier.
News categories: Mediavision, Market Research, Smart Home, Sweden

97% of U.S. smart speaker households own only one device brand
Feb 5, 2019 – Research from Parks Associates finds smart speakers inspire strong brand loyalty among owners - 97% of U.S. smart speaker households own only one brand in this device category. Two-thirds of smart speaker households own an Echo device, while almost one-third own a Google Home.
News categories: Parks Associates, Kristen Hanich, Market Research, Smart Home, USA