People are using digital media players more and video game consoles less to watch Netflix on their televisions, according to a new report from GfK.
Consoles are still the most common hardware for Netflix viewing on TVs, but things appear to be trending in a different direction.
According to the report, 28% of those who stream Netflix on a TV use a digital media player (Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, etc.) compared to 15% last year and 6% in 2011. Ownership of such devices has increased from 2% to 21% since 2010, it says.
28% reported using streaming capabilities built into their TVs compared to 20% last year and 13% in 2011. Meanwhile, those reporting console use dropped to 43%, down 5 percentage points from 2013, and nearly 20 points from 2011, when it was 62%.
“The wide variations in devices used – and in preferred device by age – speak to a need for Netflix and other SVOD providers to optimize the user experience for each situation,” said David Tice, Senior Vice President at GfK and author of the report. “Not only do the device interface and remote control need to be user-friendly, but things like on-screen font size and menus need to be age-appropriate. With a quarter of Netflix users also being Amazon Prime or Hulu viewers, there is a potential battle in user experience as well as in variety and exclusivity of content.”
As long as we’re on the subject, here’s a look at some new titles getting ready to hit Netflix.
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