Video Game Consoles Are Still The Most Popular Streaming Devices For TVs

When people talk about the streaming video to TV market, the most common devices discussed are smart TVs and dedicated devices like Roku and Apple TV. But what gets overlooked are video game consoles. These actually comprise the vast majority of the global connected TV market, according to a new report from BI Intelligence.

The connected TV market includes internet-connected smart TVs, dedicated streaming devices, and internet-enabled video game consoles.

• Video game consoles with streaming video playback capabilities account for 54% of the connected TV market.
• Smart TVs, or televisions with a built-in internet connection, account for 38% of the connected TV market.
• Streaming devices, including Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast, account for less than 10% of the connected TV market.

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Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Half of U.S. households already own at least one video game console, and roughly one-third of these households use the devices to stream online TV and movies to television. That translates to about 19 million U.S. households using video game consoles as TV streaming devices.

• The use of game consoles as streaming TV devices isn't restricted to the very young. A Deloitte survey showed that video game console owners in their teens and twenties were the most likely to list streaming video to TV as one of their top activities, but the activity was surprisingly popular among older demographics, too. Thirty-two percent of console owners between 31 and 47 cited streaming movies or shows from services like Netflix or Hulu as one of their top three game console activities, as did 21% of those between 48 and 66 years old.
  

• Video game consoles come with far more computational horsepower than typical streaming devices and smart TVs, which allows developers to create immersive and unique connected TV experiences. For example, viewers can click through baseball stats as they stream a baseball game on the Major League Baseball app, or they can use Twitch to play video games side-by-side with footage of other players navigating the same game.

In full, the report:

• Looks at how many households own gaming consoles and what percentage of them use the device for TV streaming.
• Breaks down total sales of the most popular gaming consoles.
• Forecasts 2014 sales of gaming consoles and the most popular dedicated streaming devices.
• Examines the demographics of streaming TV to console devices.
• Explores what advantages gaming consoles offer for immersive streaming experiences as compared to smart TVs and devices like the Apple TV.

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