Smart TV features aren’t driving UK TV sales despite more than a quarter of Brits relying on on-demand TV for most of their viewing.
More than half (56 per cent) of smart TV owners bought their internet-ready TV because they wanted something more up-to-date.
YouGov’s first Smart TV Tracker survey found that just eight per cent of us own smart TVs, and seven per cent plan to buy one – except in Wales, where 14 per cent have a smart TV in their sights this year.
What you can do on smart TV remains a mystery to most: 91 per cent of Brits don’t know which apps are on Smart TV; just three per cent were aware they could get BBC iPlayer and YouTube.
But those who own a smart TV are more likely to escape the TV schedules, with more than a third (35 per cent) watching most of their TV via on-demand – rising to more than half of 18-24 year olds or smart TV owners with children.
Dan Brilot, YouGov’s media consulting director for financial services and media: said: “These figures show that Britons are entering into a new paradigm in the way that TV is consumed – ‘TV 2.0’.
“TV 2.0 is all about consumers rather than schedulers deciding what to watch and when; whilst linear TV is still at the core of most things that most people we watch, the next generation who are growing up with the internet’s new mode of serving and searching content will increasingly focus their viewing attention to on-demand services.”
Picture quality is still the key feature in a new TV (47 per cent), with connecting to the internet important to just over a quarter of buyers (27 per cent), and connecting to another device at home for 17 per cent.
While almost half of us (47 per cent) say that TV ‘is a big part of my life’, more than half (57 per cent) usually watch when we’re doing something else like cleaning the house or using the internet.
The interactive Red Button has caught on with almost a third of us (29 per cent) using it regularly to access extra content, and more than one in five (23 per cent) happy to get viewing recommendations from their TV.
YouGov surveyed around 2,000 members of its national panel, including more than 1,300 smart TV owners.
Images: YouGov
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