Smart Speakers to Penetrate 47% of US Broadband Homes by 2022, Says Parks 

Smart speakers with voice assistants will penetrate 47 percent of U.S. broadband homes by 2022, said Parks Associates Thursday. Its surveys found 43 percent of U.S. broadband homes consider voice control “an important feature when selecting their next streaming media player or smart TV," it said. Those using a voice-enabled app or device “are interested most in simple functions via voice,” with half saying they want voice to turn a TV on and off, while more than a third (37 percent) “are interested in controlling the volume,” it said. Other findings: (1) Nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. broadband homes rated “unified” interfaces as important in their next streaming media player or smart TV purchasing decision; (2) Use of voice control for video is still in “its infancy,” with only 3 percent of U.S. broadband homes reporting that they use voice commands when watching a movie or TV program.