Apple is set to capture 32% of the connected TV player market in 2011, according to Strategy Analytics.
Apple has emerged as the leading player in the rapidly growing connected TV player market. Global sales of connected TV players, also known as video streaming or internet TV set-top-boxes, will more than double in 2011, compared to 2010.
Strategy Analytics projects that the market will reach almost 12 million units globally this year, with Apple alone predicted to sell nearly four million devices.
“As Apple prepares for its expected launch of smart TVs in 2012, rival platforms must accelerate their development plans to keep Apple from running away with the connected TV business, as it has done in smartphones and digital music,” said report author Jia Wu.
While connected TV players have not gained mainstream traction, an increasing number of consumers are buying them, as they offer one of the easiest ways to get internet video content onto the big TV screen. The lower price points of the second generation Apple TV and Roku Box have made them more affordable and compelling to consumers. More than 8% of US households now own a connected TV player, compared to 7% of European households.
The report also found that Apple TV users are spending more money on movies and TV shows: 30% of Apple TV owners rented movies or TV shows, compared to 20% of users of other devices. “Apple is leading this nascent market, which it still considers a ‘hobby’”, said Wu, senior analyst at the Connected Home Devices (CHD) service.
“As Apple prepares for its expected launch of smart TVs in 2012, rival platforms must accelerate their development plans to keep Apple from running away with the connected TV business, as it has done in smartphones and digital music.”
The findings are based on an online survey, conducted by Strategy Analytics in July 2011. The sample consisted of n=2000 individuals in the US and n=2801 in Europe ages 15-74 years.
