Smart TVs in 45% of Western European web homes

Some 45% of Western European broadband homes now own a smart TV, according to Parks Associates.

The research firm claims that Germany has the highest proportion of smart TV ownership, with more than 50% of broadband households having an internet-connected CE device.

“Europe has served as an early market for new online video services. As the wave of OTT video breaks across European markets, new opportunities for partnerships are opening up among OTT services, CE manufacturers, and pay TV providers,” said Parks Associates director of research, Brett Sappington.

Separately, Parks said that the 58% of broadband households in the US use at least one OTT video service on a monthly basis, while more than 25% of households use two or more services.

“Despite impressive penetration, growth of US OTT services has slowed recently, indicating the overall market for SVOD service might be saturated,” said Parks Associates research analyst Glenn Hower.

“Netflix continues to dominate the OTT space, with 43% of US broadband households subscribing to its service. After Hulu and Amazon, with 19% and 17% respectively, penetration of OTT services drops drastically. However, with new niche services emerging that focus on targeted content and audiences, there is still room for growth in the space.”