Growing consumer use of smart devices that connect to the Internet is changing the face of home entertainment, according to The NPD Group, with research showing that connected devices of all types are enabling more subscription video, streaming music, games, and other mobile apps. Nearly 80% of users who connect their Blu-ray Disc player to access online content are downloading TV shows and movies via Hulu, Netflix, and other subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, compared to 69% of connected TV users and 64% of connected video game console users.
“The growing installed base of Web-connected devices is already having implications for how consumers discover, consume and acquire entertainment content, and for how providers and retailers need to promote entertainment content to consumers,” said Russ Crupnick, Senior Vice President of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “Once primarily the domain of tech-savvy young male early adopters, downloading entertainment content to tablets, TVs, and game consoles is now much more common among regular American moms, dads – and their kids, too.”
Tablets and smartphones tend to be used less frequently to access SVOD services. Nearly 25% of connected tablet users and about 15% of connected smartphone users access these services on their devices, but consumption is growing. Smartphones and connected TVs lead other connected devices for streaming music and listening to internet radio..
“The evolution of entertainment content acquisition has obviously been driven by wild growth in, and availability of, web-connected devices now commonly seen both inside and outside of the home,” Crupnick said. “The once ubiquitous desktop computer has given way to connected televisions, Blu-ray players, notebook computers, tablets, and smartphones, which have enjoyed tremendous growth in the past two years.”
