IHS Sees Smart TVs Capturing 70% Share of Total Set Shipments This Year

Smart TVs are expected to capture a 70 percent share of global set shipments this year, up from 64 percent in 2017 and 45 percent in 2015, said IHS Markit Tuesday. Overall TV shipments are recovering in 2018, due to increased price erosion from declining LCD TV panel prices, with shipments rising 3.5 percent to 223 million units, it said. “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,” said Paul Gagnon, research and analysis executive director. “The rise of streaming video availability worldwide,” especially for special events like the World Cup, has "encouraged strong growth in smart TV sales in recent years,” it said. The increasing penetration of Amazon Alexa, Google Home and other voice-control platforms “will further increase demand for smart TVs in 2018 and beyond,” said IHS. “Streaming video is also the most common way for consumers to view 4K content while broadcast and pay TV options are limited, further fueling smart TV adoption.”