IHS Markit: 70% of TV shipments to be smart sets in 2018

The global unit-share of smart TVs is expected to reach 70% of all TV shipments in 2018, up from 45% in 2015 and 64% in 2017, according to IHS Markit.

LG OLED TV

The research firm said that global TV shipments are recovering in 2018, with shipments up 3.5% to 223 million units thanks to price erosion from declining LCD TV panel prices.

Android TV is currently the most popular smart TV operating system – including full Android TV implementations and modified versions used by many Chinese TV brands. Samsung’s Tizen and LG Electronics’ WebOS were found to be the second- and third-most popular smart TV platforms.

IHS Markit said it expects Android to continue to gain share through 2022 as it is a common third-party platform with native support for Google Home. However, it also tips Roku TV and Fire TV, which are currently only available in North America, to expand and gain share as brands seek common platforms to ease increased margin pressure.

“The increased availability and integration of Amazon Alexa, Google Home and other popular digital voice assistants will further increase demand for smart TVs in 2018 and beyond,” said Paul Gagnon, research and analysis executive director, IHS Markit. “Streaming video is also the most common way for consumers to view 4K content while broadcast and pay TV options are limited, further fuelling smart TV adoption.”

“Global growth is expected in all regions this year, and positive annual unit growth is forecast to continue during the buildup toward the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The rise of streaming video availability worldwide, especially for special events like the World Cup and Olympics, along with continued growth for global streaming video services, have encouraged strong growth in smart TV sales in recent years.”