Smart TV (Connected TV, Integrated Digital Television, IDTV) News

31% of U.S. adults watch video via a connected TV device daily
May 31, 2019 – Research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 74% of U.S. TV households have at least one Internet-connected TV device, including connected Smart TVs, stand-alone streaming devices, connected video game systems, and/or connected Blu-ray players.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Bruce Leichtman, Blu-ray, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

US-China trade disputes prompt TV makers to cut display panel demand
May 30, 2019 – Amid rising concerns over the intensifying trade war between the U.S. and China, South Korean and Chinese TV makers are cutting panel orders in Q2, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO). The reduction in panel demand is intended to cut inventory.
News categories: IHS Markit, Deborah Yang, China, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

HD PLUS and NAGRA extend content protection partnership to Smart TVs
May 29, 2019 – NAGRA (SIX:KUD.S) and HD PLUS have renewed their technology partnership and extended it to include content protection on Smart TVs. NAGRA content protection supports the HD PLUS solution for Smart TVs not requiring an external device, such as a CAM or STB.
News categories: NAGRA, HD PLUS, Thierry Legrand, Georges Agnes, Apps, Content Protection, Digital TV, Germany, Satellite, Smart TV

China TV brands shrug off headwinds in 1Q, says WitsView
May 27, 2019 – According to WitsView, shipments of TV brands worldwide were 49.87 million units in 1Q19, a QoQ slide of 24.6% and a YoY bump of 0.5%. First and second place in the rankings were Korean brands, while China brands filled up third to sixth.
News categories: TrendForce, WitsView, Jeff Yang, China, Digital TV, Korea, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide

2019 LG AI ThinQ TVs add Amazon Alexa support
May 23, 2019 – LG has begun adding Amazon Alexa support to the company’s 2019 TV models featuring artificial intelligence. The update will be implemented through the Alexa app on 2019 TVs featuring ThinQ AI including LG UHD TVs, NanoCell TVs and OLED TVs.
News categories: LG Electronics, Amazon Alexa, Brian Kwon, Apps, Australia, Austria, Canada, Digital TV, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Smart Home, Smart TV, Spain, UK, USA

VIZIO announces SmartCast 3.0 smart TV experience rollout
May 21, 2019 – VIZIO has announced new features coming to VIZIO SmartCast 3.0, the latest iteration of its smart TV experience designed to bring users more of the entertainment they love, all in one place. The new updates and features will begin to roll out in the coming weeks.
News categories: VIZIO, Bill Baxter, Apps, Digital TV, Smart Home, Smart TV, Streaming, USA, UX

Sony’s first 8K TVs go on sale in early June
May 20, 2019 – Sony Europe has announced the pricing and availability of its MASTER Series ZG9 8K HDR Full Array LED TVs. The MASTER Series TVs feature Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced to ensure that content is delivered as intended.
News categories: Sony Europe, Digital TV, Europe, Smart TV

4INFO adds Smart TV data through partnership with Inscape
May 14, 2019 – 4INFO has announced a strategic relationship with Inscape. By integrating Inscape’s ACR-generated, glass level insights from smart TVs, with 4INFO’s advanced TV platform, marketers are better able to match online and offline data to smart TV viewing data.
News categories: 4INFO, Inscape, Tim Jenkins, Greg Hampton, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, Smart TV, USA

Samsung, Spin Digital and SES showcase 8K content via satellite
May 14, 2019 – At its annual Industry Days event, SES showed a demo of an 8K signal broadcast directly to a TV with a built-in satellite receiver. The broadcast used Spin Digital for encoding and a Samsung TV to receive and decode the signal.
News categories: SES S.A, Spin Digital, Samsung, Thomas Wrede, Mauricio Alvarez-Mesa, John Adam, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Luxembourg, Satellite, Smart TV, Worldwide