CTV penetration growth slows

The uptake of connected TVs is slowing in the US.

According to new research from TDG, CTV penetration in the country only increased from 85% in Q1 2020 to 86% in Q1 2021. This is in contrast to a seven percent increase the year prior.

The report notes that the growth of internet-connected TVs is now inherently tied to the uptake of high-speed residential internet services. In Q2 2020, the number of broadband households increased by 1.35 million, while a year later only 900,000 were added to the total.

The report goes on to assert that the number of CTVs in the US has plateaued, and that further growth will come in small increments. 

Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst at TDG, said: “Roughly 85% of all U.S. households now subscribe to a high-speed internet service, which speaks to its value in today’s home. However, recent data suggests the pace of new gains is quickly diminishing. When products and services near saturation, growth declines to the low single digits and the market becomes a zero-sum game in which one operator’s gains are actually the losses of another.”

Rather than looking to expand to new homes, the analyst suggests that smart TV makers look to conquer the rest of the house. Penetration is growing in rooms outside the living rooms, such as in master and second bedrooms.