With a quarter of global TVs sold in 2012 Smart TVs, there are new opportunities for cloud gaming and app gaming on these connected devices.
More than one of every four television sets shipped worldwide in 2012 was a smart TV, with the rapid sales growth of these Internet-connected sets paving the way for them to account for more than half of the market by 2015.
Worldwide shipments of smart TVs amounted to 66 million units in 2012, up 27 percent from 52 million in 2011, according to the IHS Screen Digest TV Technology Service from information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). This impressive growth gave smart TVs a 27 percent share of the total television market for the year. There are new opportunities for cloud gaming and app gaming on these connected devices.
By 2015, shipments are expected to rise to 141 million units and account for 55 percent of global television shipments, the first time they will make up more than half the market. The following year, shipments will expand to 173 million units, amounting to nearly two-thirds of the worldwide television total.
“Despite a decline in global television shipments in 2012, consumer demand for Internet-connected televisions soared during the year—and the surge in sales shows no signs of abating,” said Veronica Thayer, TV systems analyst at IHS. “Smart TVs are rapidly joining the mainstream as manufacturers refine their products to add new features and to make them easier to use.”
