Germans tune in to smart TV

Over half of sales of TV sets in Germany this year will be of smart TVs, according to the latest study by consumer electronics trade association GFU.

Almost a third of German homes now have a smart TV. However, about two in five smart TV owners have yet to connect their devices to the internet, with about 62% of hose failing to connect the devices saying they are not interested in internet services on the TV.

Some 16% of respondents cited the complications of connecting their sets to the internet as a reason for their lack of interest, while 10% cited security concerns and 6% said their internet connection was not fast enough.

Overall, however, 41% of survey respondents cited internet connectivity as an important factor in choosing a new TV, with 36% saying it is unimportant.

Of those with a specific intention to purchase a TV, 56% said connectivity was important or very important and only 21% said it was unimportant.

Of owners of sets connected to the internet, 49% said they accessed internet services often or very often, 24% said they used them occasionally and 6% said they never used them.

YouTube was accessed by 38% of smart TV users, while 28% used them to look at photos and 20% accessed video-on-demand services and HbbTV applications. Fourteen per cent accessed Facebook and Twitter via the TV, while 13% used their TVs to make Skype calls.

Sixty-eight per cent of survey respondents were aware that smart TVs could be used to access catch-up TV services, while 67% were aware that they could be used to access VoD. Fifty-six per cent were aware that TVs could be used to access YouTube, with 53% aware of the possibility of accessing Facebook and Twitter, and 45% aware that smart TVs could be used to access Skype.

Almost 11% of Germans said they planned to purchase a new TV before the middle of next year, with internet capability cited by 56% of those as a reason to buy, slightly behind access to higher resolution TV, cited by 66% and a larger screen size, cited by 71%.