TV Manufacturers are scrambling for a way to increase sales now that consumers have settled in with their HDTVs. While 4K resolutions and content are still on the horizon, “smart” TV functionality is being touted as the must have for TV-watchers.
Market research firm IHS today reported, though, that most Americans just don’t care about smart TVs. A new survey by the firm found that a full 73% of Americans “are not interested” in purchasing a smart TV within the next year.
IHS points out that this could be due to a consumer base that is simply ignorant of smart TVs. While only 7% of consumers who are “not aware” of smart TVs intend to buy one in the next year (an odd statistic in itself), that percentage rises to 30% among consumers who are “aware” of smart TVs.
“The latest results of the IHS U.S. TV Consumer Survey show that TV makers have both a challenge and an opportunity when it comes to selling consumers smart TVs,” said Veronica Thayer, analyst for consumer electronics and technology at IHS. “Few consumers at present want to buy smart TVs now. However, demand can be cultivated if television brands better explain to consumers what smart TVs are, what they do, and why they should buy one.”
Only 20% of those polled indicated that they expect to buy a new TV within the next year, a drop from 31% polled one year ago. The survey also found that 90% of smart TV owners have their set connected to the internet, and that 80% of them have used their smart TV to watch streaming video services such as Netflix and Hulu. IHS stated that “two to three times” more survey participants considered internet connectivity when purchasing a TV than considered 3-D.
