Smart TVs are the preferred way for customers to access content provided by a video streaming service as revealed by FutureSource Consulting.According to a Futuresource senior market analyst, Jack Wetherill, smart TV was the leader in six markets that it had studied.
49% of Netflix users opted to watch through smart TV in Spain, followed by Italy at 42%, UK at 35%, Germany at 32%, US at 30% and France at 28%.
Google Chromecast was the second most preferred option for accessing Netflix in four of the six countries. PC or laptop viewing proved to be second most preferred viewing methods in Spain and Italy.
In terms of viewing via a set-top box, none of the six markets figured in the top 5 viewing methods in any of the 6 markets except in France where it stood at 5th place with 8% of viewers stating that they liked to view SVOD service in this manner.
According to Futuresource, set-top box ownership in Western Europe increased by 39% between the years 2012 and 2016 which resulted in it reaching 111 million households.
163% of those surveyed owned a Smart TV over the four year period, however, Smart TVs appeared only in 79 million homes in the region in 2016. Digital media adaptor ownership rose significantly by 458% which expanded its reach to 22 million Western European homes. Read More
