Market research firm Juniper has released findings of a new study on “Over the top” (OTT) TV adoption which will see users almost quadruple by 2019, with “dumb” TVs rather than smart ones leading the trend.
Rather than fiddle with cumbersome user interfaces and operating systems on new smart TVs, consumers are turning to cheap devices such as the Google Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV stick or video game consoles to connect their existing screens.
“The research observed that with the long lifecycle of TV’s, previously ‘dumb’ TVs will see an upsurge in becoming ‘connected,'” Juniper said in a statement. “Consumers will favour connected TVs as their primary screen, especially when one considers the trend for watching long-form video on OTT subscription services”
In the paper, Mobile & Online TV & Video: OTT, IPTV & Connected Markets 2015-2019, the research firm forecasted growth of OTT TV services to grow from 92.1 million last year to 332.2 million globally by 2019.
While North America retains its number one spot in subscription rates, Asia will emerge as a close second thanks to “new services and increased consumer interest,” Juniper said.
The far east would also rise to become the number one spender on video on demand ad spending.