One in 10 US homes to own 4K TVs by 2016

Sony’s X9000C series of 4K Bravia TV

US 4K TV ownership will climb from 1% in 2014 to 10% by 2016, with nearly half of US homes to own a 4K set by 2020, according to Strategy Analytics. 

The research claims that the US will emerge as the leading market for 4K or Ultra HD TVs in terms of household penetration by 2020, followed by the leading Western European markets, Australia, South Korea and China.

Global shipments of 4K, Ultra HD TVs grew by 633% in 2014 to 12.1 million units, with Asia Pacific accounting for 75% of these, followed by North America with 12% and Western Europe with 11%, according to Strategy Analytics.

The research claims that global shipments of Ultra HD TVs will more than double in 2015 to 27.5 million units and reach more than 100 million annually by 2018.

The “sub 50-inch” category of TV will account for the majority of Ultra HD TV shipments globally by the end of 2016, said Strategy Analytics.

“Ultra HD will become the standard resolution for virtually all large screen TVs within 3 to 4 years’ time and we will see it penetrate further into smaller screen sizes as manufacturing efficiencies improve,” said David Watkins, service director, connected home devices, Strategy Analytics.

“As we saw with the transition from SD to HD, it is the TV manufacturers who are leading the Ultra HD charge although significant steps are being made on the delivery infrastructure and content production parts of the value chain.”